Ember's Encore
by lexirose
Summary: Ember and Desiree return to wreak havoc in Amity Park, and Danny Phantom has to stop them before things get entirely out of hand. DannySam.
1. Default Chapter

Go easy on me - this is my first real fanfic! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom sniff, but I do own this story.**

**Chapter 1**

"I'm going Ghost!" Danny Fenton yelled, anger glinting in his ice-blue eyes.

An arc of light enveloped the dark-haired boy, changing his regular outfit – a T-shirt and jeans – to a form-fitting black and silver suit. In a blinding flash of light, his hair turned a snowy white, and his eyes shone a brilliant green.

He was now Danny Phantom, and his glowing eyes narrowed at what he saw.

A giant serpent was twisting its way around a marble fountain in the park, crushing the stone as its coils tightened.

Danny shot up into the air, hovering before the snake. It saw him and hissed, its red eyes boring into his green ones, daring him to get closer. Danny grimaced and pulled out the Fenton thermos, quickly twisting the cap open.

"Sorry snake ghost, but you've worn out your welcome," he said, pointing the thermos at the snake.

With a furious hissing sound, the snake spiraled into the thermos, and in a white burst of light, it was gone. Danny sighed and closed the thermos.

"That was almost too easy," he murmured, slinging it around his shoulders and floating back to the ground. The snake was the third ghost he had caught that night, and it was already past 2 a.m.

"Danny!" shouted two familiar voices. The silver-haired boy spun around and saw his best friends Sam and Tucker running toward him. Tucker was waving his arms and Sam looked…well, like she had seen a ghost.

They both skidded to a stop in front of him, Tucker bending over to catch his breath.

"What's up guys?" Danny asked. "I just got that ghost snake – don't tell me there's another one, because I'm already gonna have to sleep through math tomorrow."

"Well it looks like you might end up missing more than that," Sam sighed, grimacing. "Ember's back."

Danny's eyebrows shot up. A wave of feeling washed over him – he couldn't place it, but suddenly, a white light rushed down his body and he was transforming back into Danny Fenton, regular 14-year-old black-haired, blue-eyed guy.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice cracking embarrassingly. He hoped Sam hadn't noticed.

Tucker, who had finally caught his breath, stood up and nodded.

"Everyone's going crazy over her again," he said, adjusting his glasses. "Some kids were carrying her new CD around, and all the fashionable T-shirts are back."

"Last time you totally fell under her spell," Sam laughed. Tucker didn't even crack a smile.

"Like she's gonna get me twice? I don't think so."

Danny and Sam exchanged glances. They locked eyes for a second too long though, and suddenly memories of the last time Ember was in town came flooding back. Sam blushed and looked away as the heat rose to Danny's face.

The first time they met Ember, she had somehow made Danny fall madly in love with Sam. Danny remembered everything in a sort of pleasant, lovesick blur. Until Sam had kissed Dash. The anger and hurt he felt then was rushing back to him. Danny tightened his fists and scowled, wondering why it still hurt so much, and why his face felt so hot.

He looked back at Tucker, who was eyeing him and Sam with a knowing look.

"What?" Danny and Sam both said at the same moment, a little too loudly and a little too defensively. Sam was still blushing too.

"Anyway," Danny hurried on, trying to put the awkward moment behind them. "At least you haven't bought Ember's T-shirt yet. There might still be time to get her back in the Ghost Zone before she gains too much power."

Sam nodded vigorously. As long as she wasn't thinking about how Danny had actually forgotten Paulina, how Danny had actually cared about her, how Danny had refused to leave her side and did his best to protect her…

"Now that we know how to, it'll be easy," she agreed quickly, trying to force the thoughts of Danny from her mind. "All we have to do is make sure no one chants her name."

"Ember!" Tucker yelled, punching his fist into the air. Danny and Sam stared at him in shock. After a few seconds Tucker realized what he had done, and grinned sheepishly.

"I mean…" he said. "I still have my T-shirt from last time!" he blurted, looking slightly crazed, before breaking into song _and_ dance.

Danny and Sam both groaned.

"One down, two to go," Sam muttered. "This should be fun."

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Hey, I hoped you all like this so far! Go easy on me - it's my first real fanfic - I just had to write after watching DP, it's so good! Write me some reviews, and I'll get out the next chapter ASAP - hopefully at least one every week or less:) No reviews...no more chapters...


	2. Operation AntiEmber

Ok, I know I said I'd wait until I got reviews to post this, but I just can't wait that long, and besides, the first chapter doesn't really tell you anything. So on to the Danny Phantom!

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, Danny and Sam would be together!**

**CHAPTER 2**

The next day at school, it was clear that Ember had returned. Everyone but Sam and Danny was wearing Ember's merchandise and singing her songs, especially Dash and the other popular, shallow and easily-swayed kids.

"This is ridiculous," Sam scowled, her purple eyes narrowing at Paulina's new Ember costume, complete with a flowing teal wig. Sam was still dressed in her normal black non-Ember wear. The only thing different were two communicator earrings Sam wore to block out Ember's voice. She, Danny, and Tucker it seemed, were the only unaffected ones.

They were both leaning tiredly against their lockers, and Danny was distracted, tugging at the green earphones he was wearing. Sam giggled as his face twisted into a perplexed grimace. He looked over at her and grinned shyly.

"Don't take those off Danny," she said, suddenly serious. "Remember what happened last time?"

As if on cue, Danny's face turned a dark shade of red and he coughed uncomfortably.

"I won't," he said, blushing furiously. "I just feel weird in these, that's all. You don't think they look too much like earrings, do you?"

Sam smiled sympathetically and shook her head, looking out at the mass Ember chaos surrounding them.

"Hey FENTON, niiiiiiiiice eeaarrings!" came a screechingly annoying voice that Danny would know anywhere as Dash's. He shrunk back into his locker, wishing he could go ghost and disappear.

"Oh man," he groaned, covering his ears and trying to ignore the laughter in the hallway, while Sam shot daggers at the retreating Dash.

"Ignore them, Danny," she growled. "They're not worth it."

Just then, Tucker came rushing toward them, waving a CD in the air. He was wearing the green communicator earphones too. They had figured out last night that once the earphones went on, the Ember obsession went off. Since then, Tucker had been working nonstop on the CD.

"Hey guys, I think Operation Anti-Ember should be put into effect now, don't you?" Tucker said excitedly, handing the CD to Danny.

Danny nodded, laughter still ringing in his ears, and leaned in toward his friends.

"Here's what we do," he said, his blue eyes flashing green.

Ten minutes later, Danny and Tucker were inside the Main Office and invisible. As long as Danny concentrated hard enough, Tucker was just as intangible as he was. Tucker was putting the Ember CD into a player on the Intercom system.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" Danny asked, already feeling tired. He had barely gotten any sleep at all last night, and maintaining Tuck's invisibility was zapping the energy he had.

"Just a minute," Tucker said, fiddling with his PDA. "There. Now I should be able to control it, and we can get out of here."

Danny breathed a sigh of relief, and flew the two of them back into the hallway, where they turned visible again in a corner.

"So that should do it?" Danny asked, yawning as they walked down the hallway to homeroom. Tuck was busy entering things into his PDA, but he nodded as they walked.

"Yeah, all I have to do is turn on the CD and the whole school will hear it." He flashed a cocky grin. "And after that, no one will ever want to hear Ember again."

Danny laughed, one eyebrow raised. "I already don't ever want to hear Ember again."

All three friends sat in homeroom together, waiting for the morning announcements to end. Tuck sat poised to control the CD with a flick of a button, and Sam and Danny were both on edge, wondering if the plan would work.

"This concludes the morning announcements," finished the smooth voice over the Intercom. "Have a wonderful day."

Tuck took a deep breath and pressed a button on his PDA. The sound of Ember flooded the classroom with music and immediately cheering students.

"Sweet!" Kwan yelled, jumping up on his desk to dance to Ember. Everyone else followed his lead, swaying to the music, shouting Ember's name.

"Moby Dick!" Mr. Lancer shouted, holding his hands to his middle-aged balding head. "They've gone bananas!" He stood and started yelling for order to resume, but no one could hear anything but the music.

Danny exchanged glances with his friends.

"Tucker, you said this would STOP people from liking Ember! What's going on?"

Tuck looked serene. "Wait for it…wait for it…now!" he yelled, clicking another button on his PDA.

Suddenly the music went scratchy, the lyrics slowed down, and the spell was broken.

"My head!" screeched Dash, crumpling over on top of his desk. Other students were moaning and holding their ears; and Mr. Lancer was gasping for breath.

"Great Gatsby!" he shouted. "What is going on here?"

Tuck grinned and clicked another button, and the horrible sound stopped immediately.

"That should do it," he whispered triumphantly, looking at all the students crawling around on the floor.

Sure enough, Paulina was pulling off her teal wig. "Eeeeew, why am I wearing this retro rat pelt? It, like, doesn't even match my sandals!"

Danny high-fived Tuck, grinning at Sam.

"We did it!" he whispered fiercely. "I knew it would work!"

"At Casper High, anyway," Sam corrected. "Now we just have to do this again for everyone else in the world that's heard her music. Hopefully she's not going live again."

"Danny Phantom can stop her," Danny said grimly, his eyes shifting rapidly from blue to green.


	3. Crash

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, Danny would be mine! hehehehehe...ahem. on to the story!**

That night, Danny wasn't planning on getting much sleep.

He had slept through most of his classes, and had enough energy to search for Ember, for awhile at least. Tuck and Sam had agreed to help out by looking online for information on where Ember's next show would be, while Danny searched for leads from the starry night sky.

He stifled a yawn as he flew over the city, his hair, silver in the moonlight, ruffling in the cool wind.

He'd been searching for 2 hours, and hadn't found anything yet.

"Danny," a voice crackled over his Fenton phones. He snapped back to attention.

"Yeah, I'm here," he said, looking down on the city lights passing by.

"We found something – Ember's going to be performing live tomorrow night! In Amity Park!"

Danny smiled grimly. "We'll get her then." He couldn't hold back a second yawn, and dropped slightly in the air as he lost concentration.

"Listen, I'm going to head back home," he told his friends, blinking blearily. "I'm not seeing any ghosts, and what I need to catch is some shut-eye."

"Har, har," came Sam's sarcastic voice in his headphones, making him grin.

"Understood," Tuck said. "Over-and-out."

"I'll be looking up some more info online," Sam said. "At least for awhile. I'm not that tired yet – it's only 11."

"Okay Sam, I'll let you know if I need anything," Danny said, turning around and heading back to his house.

Flying was one of the best things about ghost powers. There was no sound up so high in the air. The city slept quietly underneath Danny, and the stars twinkled silently above. It was just so peaceful.

Suddenly there was a burst of heat on his right shoulder, which sent Danny spinning through the air. His earphones fell out as he spun, almost passing out before he could right himself again.

He shook his head and floated in place, rubbing his shoulder. What had just happened?

Danny looked around him, but couldn't see anything.

"Looking for someone?" came a menacing voice above him. Danny looked fearfully upwards, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight and his hair glowing a soft silver white.

A female figure with long flowing hair was outlined against the moon, floating above him. Danny couldn't see who it was, but he had a good guess.

"Ember!" he hissed, still rubbing his shoulder. Whatever she had thrown at him, it had hurt!

"Still the clever one, I see," Ember laughed, pointing her guitar at him. "I won't let you stop me like last time! This time you won't even be able to stop yourself!"

With a cackle of glee, Ember adjusted her guitar dial to the highest love setting, and strummed a chord.

Danny covered his ears – the sound was excruciating – and flew away as fast as he could.

The blast barely missed Danny, going just over his head.

"Oh man!" he yelped, dodging lower. "Sam, Sam are you there?" There was no answer. It was then that he realized his earphones were missing.

There was another strum of Ember's guitar – Danny could hear it close behind him – and another blast that just barely missed him.

He couldn't fly that fast! He was getting tired, and Ember was catching up. His eyes were wavering from green to blue, and he could feel himself getting lower in the sky, although he tried to stay aloft.

Another strum, and Danny concentrated enough to go intangible. There! He was invisible too.

This time, the blast hit him dead-on, and Danny once again went spinning through the night air.

_How did she hit me when I was intangible?_ He thought dazedly, before crashing into the ground so hard that it took his breath away.

In a flash of light, Danny Phantom transformed back into Danny Fenton – weak, defenseless, and unconscious.

Above him, Ember cackled with glee before moving on toward Sam's house.

"Danny? Danny are you there?" Sam was still talking into her earphones worriedly. Danny hadn't answered in some time, and Sam knew there was something wrong.

Frustrated and worried, she tore the earphones off and grabbed her cell to dial Tucker's number.

"Hello?" came a groggy voice on the other end.

"Tuck!" she shouted. "Danny's in trouble! We need to help him!"

Tucker woke up immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What can we do?"

Sam sat down heavily. "I don't know, I'm not even sure where he is. He said he was going home, and then something happened. I heard an explosion or something. I just hope he's okay."

Suddenly Sam's bedroom window burst open, and she dropped her phone with a scream.

"Sam?" Tuck yelled from the other end. There was no reply.

Sam was looking out her open window with dread. Ember was floating right outside with her guitar, smiling wickedly at Sam.

"W-what do you want?" Sam stammered, wishing she could hide. She gasped, remember that she didn't have her earphones on anymore. She slowly reached backwards on her bed to grab them, but Ember whipped her guitar toward her menacingly.

"Don't. Move." She ordered, her eyes flashing red. "Or I will hurt you like I hurt your boyfriend."

The blood drained from Sam's face. "What did you do to Danny?!" she yelled angrily.

She had to try to keep Ember talking so she could get the earphones.

Ember smirked. "Concerned? Don't be. He's only unconscious in the park. Well, it could be worse, but who knows? You'll be with him soon enough."

Sam had heard enough. She dove for the earphones, managing to grab them before Ember strummed her guitar. And the last thing Sam remembered was a burst of warmth and the feeling of falling.

Ember sneered in disgust, flying in to the room to pick Sam up. It was pitiful how these pathetic mortals always tried to fight her. There was no way they could win in the end.

_Especially once they're completely preoccupied with each other,_ she thought smugly.

She flew Sam out of her room and into the night, just as Tucker burst through the door with the Fenton thermos. He was too late. He ran to the window and watched Sam disappear, in the direction of the park.

"Sam!" he yelled into the night.


	4. Burn

Thanks everyone for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!!:) On to the story!

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP, butTHANKYOU Butch Hartman for creating such an awesome TV show!**

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**Chapter 4**

Back at the Fenton lab, Jack Fenton was doing a weekly check-up on the Fenton Genetic Lock.

"Why isn't it working?" he muttered, opening the Fenton Portal over and over again with the touch of his thumb. He stared intently into the portal, which opened and closed at his command, but there was nothing but the greenish light beyond – a spectral glow indicating legions of ghosts just beyond.

There was a soft noise on the staircase, and Jack started, looking away from the portal for the first time in an hour to see what it was.

"Jack, how long have you been down here?" It was his wife, Maddie. Jack grinned and waved her over.

"Just testing the Fenton Genetic Lock!" He grabbed Maddie gently by the shoulders and pushed her toward the lock. "Here, another Fenton should test it too. Press your thumb there – " he pointed, "and I'll watch for ghosts!"

"Well…" Maddie said, looking skeptical. It was close to midnight, after all. However… "Allright! If it's to test out the equipment!" Ghost hunting wasn't just her husband's full-blown obsession. Not by a long shot.

The Fenton Portal opened and closed. Neither Maddie nor Jack saw a ghost with jet black hair and a wicked grin float out, looking around the lab dazedly. She hovered over their heads, waiting silently.

"Darnit, where are all the ghosts!" Jack shouted suddenly. "I know they're in there Maddie – I wish we could just see them!"

"Your wish, is my command," the raven-haired ghost came to life (A/N: figure of speech! She's still DEAD, don't worry), smirking. With a flick of her wrist she was visible to the two humans below her. They stared up at her, gaping in shock.

With another flick of her wrist, Jack's hand was forced down onto the Genetic Lock, and the portal opened again with a hiss.

"My…my hand!" Jack yelled. "Great Scot, it's stuck! I can't close the Portal!" He strained unsuccessfully to remove his thumb from the Lock, reaching for the Fenton Thermos at the same time. "Maddie – the Fenton Thermos!"

"Not now, Jack," Maddie said. Jack looked up. His wife was levering the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick behind her head.

"Man, no matter how many times she does that it's still hot!" Jack grinned. Then he saw the ghosts emerging from the portal. His grin turned into a frown, as he tried to jerk his hand away from the Genetic Lock.

Desiree laughed out loud at the humans' startled looks, and swished her wrist again. Jack tumbled forward, landing heavily on his face as the portal closed.

Desiree's laughter turned into a howl of glee as she spiraled up toward the ceiling, followed by the minion ghosts that had come with her. They disappeared in the blink of an eye, just as Jack was unscrewing the Thermos.

"Drat!" He shouted. "Did you see them Maddie? Did you?"

Maddie was still holding the bat, looking around warily for more ghosts. Jack couldn't resist – he pulled her into a bear hug with a grin.

"I knew they existed!" He exclaimed into his wife's red hair. Then he realized what had just happened. "Maddie – there's a ghost on the loose! A bunch of them!"

Maddie dropped the Anti-Creep Stick.

"To the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle!" she cried. "Er…I mean, the RV."

Far above them, Desiree was already wreaking havoc in Amity Park.

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Danny woke up with a massive headache. He blinked blearily and then shut his eyes against the painfully bright morning light. He couldn't even remember going to sleep. Danny moaned and tried to move, but it felt like his limbs were made of lead. Like he was being smothered, pressed down into the ground. 

_Wait, where am I?_ He thought with a sudden panic. The last thing he remembered was…Ember!

Danny's blue eyes shot open and he lifted his head up, trying to focus. Where was he? He felt like he'd been sleeping on rocks all night. But that didn't explain why he couldn't move his body.

He must have hit the ground harder than he thought when he fell. He didn't feel like he'd broken anything, but could that be because he was…paralyzed?!?

He looked down at his stomach, rapidly blinking the sleep from his eyes.

He was surprised to see a girl sleeping on top of him. Danny's jaw dropped. He would recognize that black ponytail anywhere. It wasn't just any girl, it was Sam!

"Sam, Sam!" He murmured gently, lifting his arms to shake her narrow shoulders. She mumbled something into his chest and sighed contentedly.

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Sam gradually became more aware of her surroundings when she felt large warm hands on her shoulders. She pressed closer to the warmth of Danny's body, sliding her arms around his hard waist.

She didn't know it was Danny; she was certain of it. He smelled like earth and starlight and pine needles, and he was so warm. She didn't want to get up, she wanted to be as close to her best friend as possible. This was possibly the best wake-up Sam had ever had in her life.

Which made her realize it was probably a dream. _Great._ She sighed into Danny's chest, refusing to let her dream boy go.

She could feel Danny's heartbeat – at first it had been slow, calm. Now it was beating erratically, and his breathing had become audible. She stroked the sides of his waist to try and calm him down.

His breathing stopped altogether in a small gasp, but his heart began beating even faster. His hands on her shoulders tightened reflexively. She could feel a shiver go through his body.

_I'm making Danny shiver?_ The thought was exhilarating. _Bet Paulina can't do that._

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Danny's stomach flipped uncomfortably and he suddenly felt way too warm. He gasped when Sam wrapped her arms around his waist. He could feel the heat from her hands through his T-shirt, and it made his entire body hot. He could also feel himself blushing.

"Sam, wake up!" he said in a strangled voice, struggling to get out from under her without hurting her.

"Mmmm…don't wanna," she murmured, burying her face into his neck. "So…warm…"

He could feel her soft lips moving against his neck, and tendrils of her silky black hair on his cheek, sending more shivers down the length of his entire body.

"Sam!" he yelped, suddenly getting up while still holding on to her. He dragged her to a standing position and held her at arm's length, looking directly into her amethyst eyes.

She blinked sleepily and looked back at him with a dopey grin.

"You're so beautiful with the sunrise in your blue, blue eyes," she sighed.

Danny's stomach felt like it was full of flustered butterflies. Sam was…was Sam…_hitting_ on him?! Danny had never thought Sam would be attracted to him like that. Well, there had been that whole fake-out make-out, but that hadn't meant anything to Sam, he was sure.

It had meant something to him though. It had been his first kiss, and it had been wonderful. After that, Danny had been kind of awkward around Sam, noticing more and more how much she meant to him.

And then when Ember had put him under a spell to fall head-over-heels in love with Sam…that had been the happiest day of his life. Until she broke his heart.

But now. Now it was like _she_ was under a spell. Under Ember's spell.

Danny's eyebrows shot up in realization. Ember! She must have hit Sam with a love spell and then brought her to the park! She was messing with their relationship all over again.

But then why wasn't he affected by her spell? She had hit him hard, he remembered. And then he had hit the ground even harder. If his eyebrows could go any higher, they would have.

_Of course! Only some sort of shock could break Ember's spell – falling that hard must have shaken it out of me before I even regained consciousness. _

Sam was still gazing at him with that happy grin, sighing sporadically. She looked so happy, but it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. Sam would never really look at him like that, with such adoration and trusting love.

To his embarrassment, Danny's blue eyes suddenly filled up with tears. He blinked rapidly, and looked down.

A small warm hand reached up to caress his cheek, brushing the tears away.

"Danny," Sam said softly. "Look at me."

He looked up, the tears falling down his face. Sam's eyes were the deepest, most beautiful violet he would ever see. He gazed into them forlornly, wishing this was real, wishing Sam wasn't here because of some dumb spell.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. He couldn't stand to have Sam look at him like that and it not be real. He couldn't stand the thought of losing something that meant so much to him.

"No, Sam, this isn't real!" he shouted, backing away, the tears blurring his vision. "You don't really like me! It's just a spell!"

Sam looked shocked, and worst of all, hurt.

"No it's not Danny," Sam's eyes were starting to tear up too. "I've always liked you! More than liked! I just never told you before, because I didn't realize it until now!"

Danny looked away, closing his eyes again. His heart felt like it was bleeding.

"Sam, I wish this was real. I wish we really did love each other, not just because of some spell. But it's not like that! Don't you understand? I don't want to hurt you, and I know you don't want to hurt me."

Sam was crying now. "But you are hurting me Danny! I just want you to love me as much as I love you! I wish you could feel the way I do!"

"Your wish, is my command," came a smooth and sinister voice above them. Both Danny and Sam looked up with tear-filled eyes. Danny's eyes widened in horror.

A ghost wearing gypsy garb floated nearby, her teeth glinting in the sunlight as she flashed them a wicked grin. "You two lovebirds are meant for each other," she smirked. "And with little ghost-boy out of the way I'll be able to take over this world with no problem."

"No!" Danny shouted, but it was too late. With a flick of her wrist, Desiree had granted Sam's wish.

Immediately, irresistibly, Danny's eyes were drawn away from the wish-granting ghost and back to Sam's eyes. He was being pulled into their violet beauty; falling, falling into warm darkness. His mind went entirely blank as the pleasant warmth consumed him.

A grin slowly spread its way across his face as the warmth grew. There was only one thought in Danny's head.

Sam was…absolutely gorgeous.

He stepped closer to her, his blue eyes intense and still sparkling with fresh tears.

"Danny," Sam murmured, her lips curved upward in a soft smile. Danny raised a finger to her lips, which were slightly parted. He gazed at them in amazement. They were perfect. He looked back up to her violet eyes, which sparkled in the sunrise like garnets.

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eehehehe, sorry for ending it right there! I know you all must be hating me right now, but I promise to update soon! I have finals this week, so i'll definitely be doing some Danny Phantom fanfic procrastination. 

A little feedback never hurt anyone, and that's what keeps me goin - so please REVIEW - if you like it, let me know:)


	5. Every wish

**Ok, thanks everyone who gave good reviews!(special thanks to JulesFire, daemonwolf, and Sakura Scout - reviews like this really help me know how I'm doing - and Ella-629 for catching my mistake) **

**I always appreciate NON-flaming comments. **

**Also, fluffyrachel: what do you mean about the name?**

Anywho, the wait is over! (I really shouldn't be procrastinating, but who wants to study for tests? My doom is sealed anyway.)

Sooooo...........finallyON to the Chapter 6! :)

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for this story**

**Chapter 6**

Sam felt like she was falling into Danny's beautiful electric blue eyes. No, they were so deep she felt like she was drowning in them.

She had never dreamed he would be looking at her the way he was now – like she was the only person in the world, the only thing that existed for him.

If this _was_ a dream, it was turning out pretty darn good.

"Sam…" Danny said, his voice low and breathy, catching in his throat with desire. It took Sam's breath away, the way he said her name, so filled with reverence, almost as if it were a prayer.

She looked down at the lips that had said her name so lovingly. They looked so inviting…she found herself unconsciously leaning forward, and realized what she was about to do. She stopped, uncertain.

Then Danny was leaning forward too, his sparkling blue eyes so close they were all she could see.

Sam gasped in delight as he hungrily captured her lips with his own.

_(A/N: yay! They finally kiss! know you were all waiting for that! hehe)_

They both smiled as the kiss deepened, leaning in to each other. Sam threw her arms around Danny's neck as he circled her waist with his arms.

They didn't hear the laughter far above them, or see the shocked look on Tucker's face as he watched them kiss near the fountain the ghost snake had destroyedtwo nights before.

They knew nothing except for the warmth and comfort of each other, the rush of love that ignited them in just one kiss.

"Oh no," Tucker said. "This is not good! Not good!! However…"

He grinned, whipped out his camera, and started taking pictures.

"It _will_ make some good desktop backgrounds!"

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Although kissing Sam was as wonderful as that fake-out make-out (only better because it was real this time), something was bothering Danny.

There was something he was missing, something important. He just couldn't place his finger on it.

So instead, he focused all of his attention on the small girl in his arms and the total euphoria of being with her.

The warmth of her skin, the rapid beating of her heart, the soft caresses of her lips.

Sam was also in a total state of bliss. This was what she had been dreaming for her whole life – Danny Fenton was finally noticing her romantically! And not just noticing, but passionately kissing her!

She felt so warm and safe in his arms, enveloped in his sweet kisses.

And this time it was for real. This time it had nothing to do with…with…who was it that twisted their relationship before? Oh well, it wasn't important. All that was important was that Danny's hot lips were pressed tightly against her own.

She felt like she was floating. She pulled her head back and looked Danny in his beautiful glowing eyes, grinning broadly again.

And then she noticed that she _was_ floating. About 50 feet in the air. And Danny's eyes were glowing a vivid green, his white hair rustling in the wind.

Sam hadn't even noticed him go ghost.

"Danny! You're in ghost mode," she smiled stupidly, tightening her grip around his neck. "You're so hot as a ghost." A blush colored her cheeks as she realized she had said that out loud.

Danny chuckled, tightening his own grip around her waist.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you…Sam." He said her name in a whisper, his eyes filled with adoration as he gazed down at her, the sunrise outlining his white hair in soft gold.

Sam's blush deepened, a happy smile on her face. "I know," she whispered back at him. She leaned in and kissed him again, ignoring the loud shouts far below them.

"Danny! Sam! DANNY! SAM!" Tucker was screaming up at his friends, who were obviously lost in their lovesick world.

Granted, he had gone snap-happy with the camera and lost track of the time. Of course, he hadn't stopped taking pictures until his memory card was full, but that was beside the point.

At this rate, they would definitely miss school, and probably the concert too.

"Oh man, what am I gonna do?" he groaned, watching Danny and Sam lean in for another kiss, high above the trees. "Someone's gonna see them! I have to stop them!" He stomped his feet, exasperated.

If they didn't get their butts in gear, Ember was going to be unstoppable. It was at times like these that Tucker wished he still had ghost powers.

"This is ridiculous!" he shouted up at them. He was sure they were ignoring him. "Danny's just wasting his ghost powers," he muttered to himself. "I could be whupping butt right now, but noooo. Danny's the one with the skills!"

"It's not fair! I'm the geek! I should be the one with superpowers! Man, sometimes I wish I still had those ghost powers."

The temperature suddenly dropped about 10 degrees, andthe park seemed darker, as if the sun had just winked out. Tucker shivered, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Do you now?" came an amused voice behind him. Tucker jumped, spinning around to see who it was.

"Desiree!" He gasped, his green eyes widening. He scrambled backwards, tripped on a tree root, and landed flat on his back, his glasses going askew. "Get away!"

The ghost pouted, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Do you really want that? I think you'd rather have something different," she purred, pointing her finger directly at him.

Tucker could only stare back in horror. He felt completely defenseless, and somehow he knew Danny Phantom wasn't going to come to the rescue.

_Danny, where are you?_ He thought angrily. _Oh, right, I forgot, 100 feet away shoving your tongue down my other best friend's throat._

"That's what I thought," Desiree laughed delightedly. "Oooh, a bitter, rash and angry wisher always makes my day. You'll get what your heart desires, and you'll get it NOW!"

In a flick of Desiree's wrist, Tucker was enveloped in a blinding burst of green light. He lifted his arms over his head and squeezed his eyes shut, the color green still burning into his retinas.

When he opened his eyes, the ghost was gone. And he was wearing a black and silver jumpsuit.

"Here we go again," he sighed, looking down at his gloved hands.

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Please REVIEW! The more you review (helpful comments please), the more I'll be inspired to continue! I'll try not to make any wicked cliffhangers like last time...but it all depends on whether the reviews are helpful or not...I might have to punish you again...(cackles maniacly). 

But seriously, let me know what I'm doing right/wrong/whatever!


	6. Elvis has left the building

**Hey everyone, just wanted to apologize for not updating sooner - winter break was sweet...but long. **

**Thank you to all my awesome reviewers, especially Raven Sugara the Tenken, JulesFire, and Sakura Scout! You rock! You rock out loud!;)**

**OK then, more DP fanfic! woot!**

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**Chapter 7**

"Alright, here goes nothing," Tucker said, a look of determination coming over his face. His eyes glowed green as he looked up at his two friends.

And then he was in the air, flying toward them. It was as effortless as standing up, and almost disoriented Tucker for a stomach-dropping moment as he shot into the air.

"Whoa!" he cried, forcing himself to slow down. He had forgotten how easy this was – it was sort of like re-learning how to ski – he knew how to do it, it just took time for his body to realize that.

As he pulled to a stop in the air, it felt like he was pulling himself backwards, fighting against the air in front of him, as the wind whipped around him.

He shook his head and looked down. He was above the tree-line, and totally unsupported. If he fell….well, there would be nothing to catch him. Fortunately, he had enough self-control to not start thrashing madly in the air, like a hamster dropped into water.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Barely enough self control. He was starting to hyperventilate.

With one deep breath, Tucker forced himself to calm down. This was no big deal. He was just flying. Again. Without an airplane, hanglider, balloon, or any other kind of device to hold him up.

"Got to focus, Foley," he muttered, his eyes still closed.

After several deep breaths, Tucker was able to open his eyes again. He looked back to where Danny and Sam were. They were still hanging in the air, making lovey-eyes at each other.

Tucker gagged.

He pushed himself toward them, zooming over in an arc high above the trees. He was so getting his flyin' skillz back!

"Woooooo!!!!" He shouted suddenly, a grin lighting up his face.

His friends started at the noise, and then turned toward him, still holding tightly to each other.

"Tucker?" they said together, incredulously.

He pulled up right next to them, his eyes flashing green.

"That's Tucker Phantom!" he cried, feeling wicked in his skintight outfit.

_Hmmm…wonder if spandex feels so strangely hot to Danny?_ He thought briefly before realizing what he was thinking. _I-I mean, hot to Sam! Hot to SAM!_

He shook his head violently, to get those thoughts out of his head. Sam and Danny stared at him for a moment before giving each other sidelong glances.

Sam coughed. "Ummm, Tucker, what's going on?" she said. "Why are you flying?"

"Huh?" Tucker looked confused for a moment. "Oh yeah, guys, Desiree's back!" he said. "And we still have to stop Ember at the concert! And school – we're already five minutes late! We have to get there now and plan what we're going to do!"

He was waving his hands frantically at this point. Danny and Sam just stared at him blankly.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Danny cleared his throat.

"Well it looks like you've got your ghost powers back, so why don't you do something to help out instead of bothering me and Sam?"

Tucker floated backward in shock.

"You can't be serious!"

Danny just shrugged and pointed at something behind Tucker.

"You've already got the Fenton Thermos – you know what to do with it."

Tucker slapped his forehead. He had the Fenton Thermos all along, and had forgotten about it! He could have already stopped Desiree, if he hadn't been so stupid.

"Man…"

Danny and Sam were already looking deep into each other's eyes again, smiling contentedly. A rush of anger and resentment suddenly welled up inside of Tucker.

His best friends were STILL ignoring him! After he had been attacked by Desiree! Again! Even though he was floating in the air beside them!

His eyes narrowed, and then he turned and flew away as fast as he could. He knew what had to be done, and apparently there was only one half-a in town who could get the job done.

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Danny and Sam didn't even notice when Tucker left, they were so absorbed in each other.

A growling sound caught Sam's attention, and Danny blushed.

"Hungry?" Sam smirked. Danny was cute when he was all red and embarrassed.

"Mmm, yes," Danny smirked back at her, drawing her closer to him. She looked up at him, her own cheeks flushing bright pink.

"Danny!" she swatted his arm playfully. "I meant food."

"Oh," Danny grinned. "Yeah, I guess I could get something to eat. Let's hit the Nasty Burger."

"You think they're open this early?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, of course, they've got pancakes and waffles and sausages…" he noticed her look. "And…and _tofu_ omelets…"

Sam's stomach grumbled. "I'm there," she said, wrapping an arm around Danny's shoulder.

He raised an eyebrow at her, grinning, and she blushed again.

They were flying over the town to the Nasty Burger, and Sam couldn't have been happier.

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Meanwhile, below the two flying lovebirds, a ghost detector was detecting something on its radar. Something right above it.

Jack Fenton watched in stunned silence as the ghost signal blipped across the radar screen inside the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle, heading due south.

All at once, he regained his ability to speak.

"Ghost! Ghost! GHOST!!"

Maddie slammed on the gas and the RV went flying south. Jack's eyes glinted in anticipation.

"We'll get that ghost today, Maddie! Can you feel its icy-cold stench all the way over here? Because I CAN! And I will melt that ghost! Into shrapnel!"

He started muttering to himself, and Maddie rolled her eyes. He just got waaaay too excited around the possibility of a ghost. Which resulted in a mess of incoherent ramblings. But she understood. Her own palms were starting to sweat in anticipation of finally catching a ghost.

"Maddie! It's headed straight for the Nasty Burger! Where it will be fried! Deep-fat fried into sausage-shaped morsels of goodness…" Jack started to drool.

"Yes, I suppose we can get some breakfast after we catch that ghost," Maddie agreed. "_After_ we catch it."

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Danny and Sam were sitting close together, sipping out of a mega-tofu-milkshake and smiling at each other when Danny's parents burst through the diner door.

"Stand back everyone!" Jack shouted, raising his ghost finder and waving it about. "There's a ghost in the house!"

"Dude, Elvis has LEFT the building!" someone shouted from the kitchen, followed by a lot of snickering. Jack scowled.

"He may not have, Buster," he said loudly.

"Danny, what are your parents doing here?" Sam practically shouted, clutching his T-shirt in a vice-like grip.

Danny tried to hide behind the milkshake, but it was too late. His mom, with her fox-like hearing, was turning to look in their direction at Sam's question. Her eyes widened when she saw them, and Danny prepared for the explosion.

"Daniel Fenton!" his mother shouted, overpowering Jack, who was still talking about Elvis. "What on earth are you doing here! You should be in school!"

Jack whipped around to see the two teenagers cowering behind the milkshake. Both of whom, he was pleased to see, were a sickly shade of white, matching the tofu milkshake.

"WHAT indeed!" Jack shouted, waving the ghost finder at them. It started beeping crazily and everyone stopped moving.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "There's a ghost in here somewhere, and now I can't catch it because of your reckless misbehavior!" He pointed the ghost finder directly at Danny, and the beeping seemed to shout "GHOST!! GHOST!! GHOST!!!!"

Jack looked around warily and then gingerly set the ghost finder down. "Hmm, seems to be malfunctioning. We may have to go back to the lab to fix this one."

Maddie marched over to Danny and Sam and picked both of them up by their collars.

"I still don't understand why you two aren't in school!"

The two teens looked at each other, blushed furiously, and looked away from Danny's mom, who was pursing her lips in a knowing manner.

_Nevertheless…_ "Daniel, you are grounded until further notice, and Sam, I'm sure your parents will be very disappointed in you. Now, you are both going back to school this instant!"

"But –" both Danny and Sam protested.

"No buts!"

And she marched them off to the Fenton RV, shoved them in the back door, marched back into the Nasty Burger to drag her husband away from the fried bacon and hamburger chalupas, shoved him in the RV, got in herself, and shot off to Casper High.

Danny and Sam were unceremoniously dumped off in Lancer's class during the middle of a lesson.

He frowned at them, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, well, well," he said. "Look what the cat dragged in. Late again, Fenton? I'm not surprised. But you, Ms. Manson, you disappoint me."

He pointed to their seats, which they slunk to, too embarrassed to protest.

But not, Lancer noticed, too embarrassed to squeeze each others' hands and smile at each otherbefore taking their seats.


	7. Shadows

**Sorry for the long wait for this chapter - I've been really busy. Don't worry though! I promise to have at least a new chapter every month (or sooner) from now on (I'd make it every week...but breaking promises is just..not nice).**

**THANK YOU to my awesome reviewers! And CM: I don't mind that you share my story, as long as people know it's mine:), and thanks for the great review (you're right about Sam, I might have to change that)**

**For everyone with questions about DP, which i don't have time to answer, goto the online Danny Phantom guide at TV Tome**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own DP, but this story is mine! All MINE! Precioussss...**

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"Glad you two were able to grace us with your presence today," Lancer said, his left eye twitching. Then his eyes rolled upward and he began talking to the ceiling. 

"Why do my students refuse to appreciate the benefits of a high school education? What, oh what indeed, is going to happen to the world of tomorrow? With such apathy, such indifference, such listlessness…" here he glared at an unfortunately unconscious student in the back row… "Oh, the humanity!"

Everyone sort of glanced at each other with a worried look. Except for those sleeping. It seemed as if the lovebirds' late entrance had set off a time bomb, and now everyone was suffering. They glared at Danny and Sam, who were still oblivious to what was going on around them, as Mr. Lancer continued his pent up rant.

"'Crime and Punishment'! Is there nothing I can do to get to you? Nothing!" He had fallen down to his knees and was reaching for something above the students' heads, presumably his sanity.

The classroom was utterly silent. Someone coughed, and then the uncomfortable silence resumed, weighing heavily on everyone in the room.

And then Lancer lowered his gaze until he was looking at the floor, completely defeated.

"If only you all cared about learning as much as I care about teaching…" he sighed and then stood. He turned around to face his desk and gather his composure.

He didn't notice the green mist that seemed to permeate the room, coating the floor like a carpet. Neither did Danny or Sam, although Danny was starting to shiver.

Danny just ignored everything, thinking only of Sam. And then…something changed. All of a sudden the dreamy ponderings of his mind were sharpened. Not dulled…just overshadowed by something else…for the moment.

Danny sat up straighter in his chair and leaned forward. He turned to look at Sam, who blinked at him, as if she had just woken up. Then they both looked expectantly at Mr. Lancer, along with every other student in the class.

When Mr. Lancer turned around to look at his students, he expected to see the regular glazed-over too-tired-to-learn dull sheen in their eyes. He expected to see a few of them maybe sitting a little straighter after his explosion. He expected to see one or two of them snoring gently in the back.

What he did not expect was the entire class wide awake and eager, leaning forward and alert with a light in each and every eye. But that was what he saw.

He actually stumbled backward in his shock.

"Lord of the Rings!" he exclaimed, slamming into the blackboard and staring, almost fearfully, back at his students. His _students._ Who actually looked as if they deserved that title.

Was it possible? Well, wasn't this what he had wanted? Their interest? Lancer wasn't sure what was going on, but he decided to make the best of it. He was starting to have more confidence in his own abilities. He cleared his throat and loosened his tie.

"Well, now that I've got your attention, everyone turn to page 94 in the textbook. We're going to explore the ramifications of Hester's actions in her village…"

There was a great rustling of paper as everyone opened their books, and Lancer couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tucker was wondering how in the world he was going to stop two psychotic ghosts without Danny's help. 

He had used his PDA to gain control of all the radio stations in Amity Park (he still wasn't sure how he was able to do it…his PDA _was_ pretty sweet though), and so all that was playing on every station was his new and improved Ember music. Hopefully that would get people off the Ember-induced craze.

He had also been catching Desiree's ghost minions with the Fenton Thermos since morning, but it seemed like there was no end to them. He would catch two, then four more would appear out of thin air, and he would have to go racing after them.

He was sweating profusely, and it wasn't even noon yet. Flying was a lot of work! It didn't look so difficult from the ground, but all the muscle power he had used to propel himself forward at insane speeds was starting to take its toll.

And Tucker was starting to feel…not himself. It was the same as last time…when his ghost powers had transformed him into a raging green ghost, just like Desiree's minions. Technically, he guessed he _was_ a minion, since it was Desiree's power that gave him power. But he wasn't at her beck and call, not by a long shot. And this time around he would keep it that way – he was going to stay 100 percent in control.

…Right after his nap. He dropped to the ground after catching his last ghost, clutching the Thermos to his chest. All he wanted to do was sleep.

"Danny, where are you?" he growled, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Oh, right…in school. Like a good little boy." He scowled and then looked up at the sky. "Well, we're going to have to change that."

He leapt into the air again, this time heading toward Casper High School, a determined look on his tired face.

* * *

"I'm still pissed off about the hypocrisy in that village," Sam was saying vehemently, as she ripped into her tofu bean curd breadless sandwich. "Everyone sins, right? But Hester has to wear hers on her outfit 24/7, for everyone to sneer at. And it's not just her sin. Where's the father?" 

She shook her head, a strange light in her eye. Everyone in Lancer's class was still talking about The Scarlet Letter. Even those that hadn't picked up the book, like Dash and Paulina, were critiquing the finer points of Hester's needlework or Pearl's demonic attributes.

Danny grinned at Sam, then leaned forward to be heard over all the noise in the lunchroom.

"Yeah, don't those villagers know you get what you deserve when you die? They weren't such good Puritans, not that I'm defending Hester. She was _so_ guilty."

"Well she's already getting what she deserves with Pearl," Sam laughed, and then stopped, with a nonplussed look on her face.

"Hey…why are we still talking about this? We've never talked about Lancer's books outside of class before."

Danny shrugged, a strange gleam in his eye.

"That just shows how great we are together, pumpkin."

"Did you just call me…"

Sam's breath caught in her throat and she almost choked on the bite of 'sandwich' she had taken.

Danny had reached over and was touching her lips with his fingertips.

"We can talk about anything we want," he murmured, his eyes bright. "But if you don't want to talk…" A wolfish grin spread across his face. Sam swallowed and turned bright pink at Danny's knowing look.

She felt like her lips were burning where his fingers touched her. Time seemed to stand still as she looked into Danny's blue eyes, deep and dark with a glimmer of green beneath the surface. He stared at her, the draw of his eyes pulling her closer to him until she felt like she was lost within the gravity of his gaze.

Her face grew even hotter. She couldn't take this any more, it was like torture. Exquisite torture, but still.

So she grabbed Danny's hand and pulled him towards her, grinning at the startled look on his face as he stopped just inches away from her.

"Now you're talking, stud muffin," she smirked before crashing into his lips in a fiery kiss.

"Wha – ah…mmmm…" Danny was making unintelligible sounds against her heated lips, and Sam smiled as she deepened the kiss.

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"Hey!" Someone grabbed Sam's shoulder and yanked her away from Danny.

It was like a cold wind tearing at her, and Sam felt the loss of Danny's heat with a shock.

She whirled around, wondering who had such a strong grip to hurt her shoulder like that, and who would have the nerve to grab her like that.

"Tucker!" Danny yelped, leaping over the table and grabbing a fistful of Tucker's shirt. "What the heck do you think you're doing? Don't shove Sam around like that!"

Tucker smirked and turned intangible, releasing himself from Danny's grip. He stepped back and smoothed his shirt down, his eyes glowing an alarming shade of green.

"No Danny, what the _hell_ do you think _you're_ doing, wasting time here when you know Ember and Desiree are on the loose?" Tucker snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've been working my butt off all day to stop them, and what have you been doing? Making out with...with your 'pumpkin'!"

"Hey!" Sam shouted. Tucker ignored her.

"Yeah, that's right, I heard everything," he went on. "And something definitely stinks." He followed Danny's eyes to the remainders of Sam's lunch and sneered. "And no, it's not Sam's garbage."

"Hey!" Sam shouted indignantly. Tucker ignored her, looking pointedly at Danny.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but don't you think we should continue this conversation somewhere…a little more private?" Danny said, his voice leaden and his eyes flickering green.

Tucker and Sam realized how quiet the lunchroom had become. Everyone had abandoned conversation in favor of seeing what looked like Tucker's jealous rampage over Danny and Sam making out. Who knew Tucker had the hots for Sam all along? But obviously, Danny and Sam were meant for each other, so unless hell was freezing over, pigs were flying, or gold was shooting out of his derriere, the geek didn't have a chance.

Tucker coughed and nodded at Danny. They casually walked into the hallway, as if they had all the time in the world. Sam followed close behind them until they got to the boy's locker room. The boys walked in silently, and after only a moment's hesitation, Sam rushed in after them.

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Tucker had slammed Danny against a locker, and was gripping his shirt.

"Now," Tucker grinned, his eyes greener than ever. "What stinks?"

Danny glared at Tucker, going intangible and getting some distance between them.

"You do," he spat. Sam rushed over to Danny and grabbed his arm, looking worriedly at Tucker.

"What are you talking about?" she said.

Tucker shook his head, as if to clear it. His eyes dimmed. He looked worn out.

"It's so obvious," Tucker finally said, pointing at them both. "You're not yourselves – you're under a trance."

"Well, duh," Sam snorted.

Tucker blinked. "So you know. Well then what are we waiting for! We've got to get you back to normal so Danny can help me fight the ghosts!"

Danny wrapped his arms possessively around Sam, his eyes still flashing green.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said. "There's no way I'm getting rid of this trance if it means Sam and I will have to break up."

Sam's eyes shone suspiciously. She stroked Danny's arms with a happy sigh that made Tucker want to hurl.

There was nothing else for it. He was going to have to do something he might regret very shortly.

"Fine," he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "But Danny, I need your help, I can't do this alone."

Danny released his grip on Sam and looked away.

"I – I'm sorry Tuck. I'm not leaving Sam alone. I would never forgive myself if…"

Tucker was on him before Danny knew what was happening. His eyes were neon, his teeth were bared, and he was going intangible.

Right through Danny's body.

He said a short prayer that this would work as he pushed his way through layers of skin and muscle, until he hit something radiant with light.

It was so bright that Tucker was blinded for a moment, and then he saw what he was looking for.

A dark shadow, latched on to the brightness, pulsing and growing and dimming everything it touched.

Tucker snarled and raced at the shadow, wrapping his ghostly arms around it before it had a chance to shrink away. It was colder than anything he had ever felt, a coldness that was seeping into his arms, freezing him to his invisible bones.

He gasped but kept moving forward. He had to get this thing out of his friend, he had to keep going.

Through layers of muscle…then skin…and finally Tucker was in the locker room again, gasping and letting go of the frozen darkness as Danny fell to the floor unconscious.

He reached behind his shoulder blades and grabbed the Fenton Thermos, twisting it open even as he lifted it from its strap.

With a shriek, the shadowy thing was sucked into a blast of ectoplasmic blue light, and Tucker slammed the lid back onto the Thermos, panting.

It had all happened in seconds, but it seemed like a lot longer to Tucker. He leaned forward and grabbed his knees, trying to catch his breath and regain his strength. Why was he so tired?

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Sam was watching him in silence, a strange feeling growing inside of her.

She tried to shout to Tucker, to tell him that something was wrong, but a pressure was clamping down on her chest, an icy embrace that was freezing her from the inside out. So different from Danny's embrace.

Sam struggled for a moment but she wasn't strong enough. Her shining eyes frosted over in a look that was very much faraway, even while it focused inwards. She felt herself truly falling, losing control in a way that she had never thought possible. Her amethyst eyes quickly darkened, her pupils widening until they swallowed all the light that had been there.

When Tucker finally looked up at her, Sam's black expressionless eyes were fixed on him. Her pale lips curved upwards to reveal pointed teeth, and Tucker blanched.

He cursed under his breath. Of course there was a ghost thing in Sam too! Why had he forgotten that?

_Because I wanted you to._

Tucker jerked, beads of sweat forming on his brow. That voice…it had just spoken _inside_ Tucker's head. And it was terrifyingly familiar, a low, guttural, animal growl that he was sure he had heard before. It was suddenly feeling very cramped inside his body.

He started panicking. What was he going to do? He had seen the shadow working to extinguish Danny's light. Now it looked like a shadow had smothered Sam's light, and there was one inside of him too!

_There's nothing you can do,_ came the voice again. Tucker trembled, his mind racing.

"No," he refused, his teeth clenched. "I won't let you take over! You can't control me."

_Oh no?_ The voice sneered. _Let me prove you wrong._

And then a blanket of ice seemed to be smothering Tucker, much colder than the touch of Danny's shadow had been. He struggled against it even as he fell forward onto the cement floor.

Sam calmly stepped backward to avoid his falling body, staring down at him with her dark empty eyes.

"NO!" he screamed. And then the darkness choked him, silencing him. It seeped upwards and darkened his eyes until he was blind. He was pushed down so far into himself that he lost all sense of perception, and as he lost consciousness, the darkness took control.

Tucker stood up calmly, brushing off his clothes as he looked at Sam. His eyes were now just as empty as hers.

There was a moan from somewhere below them.

Tucker and Sam looked down at Danny, who was just starting to regain consciousness on the cold locker room floor. They glanced at each other with feral grins before focusing again on the ghost boy.

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**...wow, another cliffhanger. don't review too harshly...I don't take kindly to flamers. But please review!**

**REVIEWS MAKE ME TYPE FASTER!**


	8. Gathering gloom

**Disclaimer: DP is on Nick! All new! Every Friday! (is anyone else as stoked as I am?)**

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Danny woke up with a start. He was freezing, and not just because he was on a cold cement floor. He could see his breath. Which meant there was something close by, something that wasn't human.

Danny's teeth chattered. He couldn't remember how he had gotten on the floor.

He sat up and looked around. He was alone in the boy's locker room. Or so he thought.

The hair on the back of his neck was rising as it became even colder. With a horrible sinking feeling, he realized there was something behind him.

He whipped his head around even as he pushed himself up off the ground and leapt backwards.

Tucker and Sam were just inches away from him.

"Tucker? Sam?" He shouted. "Get back, there's something here!"

And then he saw their eyes, black as coal and empty as oblivion. He swore. They bared their fangs and moved forward.

And then Danny remembered why he had been unconscious in the boy's locker room.

He looked at Tucker in horror, mentally kicking himself for being so stupid. Of course he didn't want to be under a trance for the rest of his life! But he had been prepared to fight his best friend and ignore the ghostly threat to Amity Park, just so he could live a lie. A wonderful, happy, loving lie.

He looked at Sam, at the now-twisted semblance of Sam, and felt like crying. Her skin was whiter than ever, her eyes were dead and an aura of black power swirled around her. This was the result of a love spell held too long; this was the result of twisting something beautiful and making it completely unnatural.

The rage that was building up in Danny, however, was anything but unnatural. What Ember and Desiree had done to him and his friends was completely unacceptable.

Silently, he took a fighter's stance, his eyes brightening to green. Twin circles grew from his chest outwards, enveloping his entire body until he was clad in black and silver. His hair frosted to white. He was Danny Phantom, and he was going to get his revenge.

"_What, are you going to fight us?" _Tucker sneered, his voice several octaves lower than usual. "_Your best friends?_"

"I'm going to rip you right out of their bodies," Danny said, his voice loud and strong. "You'll regret ever messing with them!"

"_I highly doubt that,_" Sam croaked, her voice low and scratchy.

"Well start doubting!" Danny shouted, reaching behind his back. "I've got your one-way ticket to the ghost zone right…" The Thermos! Where was it?

Tucker grinned and lifted the Fenton Thermos up for Danny to see.

"_Looking for this?_" he rasped. Danny paled noticeably as Tucker dangled it in the air, laughing.

Sam was cocking her head to one side, as if she was listening to something far away. Tucker stopped laughing for a moment too, with a distant look in his dark eyes.

"It doesn't matter," Danny quickly recovered himself. "I don't need that to get rid of you."

Both Tucker and Sam gave him a pitying look, like one would a small child.

"_No, you just need to start talking,_" Sam snarled. "_Later._"

And with that, they both rose into the air and flew out of the locker room. Through the closed door.

Danny gasped and rushed after them. They were headed straight for…Lancer's class! They phased through the door, and Danny could hear muffled screams, and a particularly high-pitched girlish shriek. He was guessing that was either Dash or Lancer.

He turned invisible and flew through the door.

Tucker and Sam were floating in front of the chalkboard, above Lancer's unconscious body. Apparently he had fainted after screaming.

The students, who Danny was sure had been yelling before, were now strangely silent.

He glanced at them and noticed, to his horror, a growing darkness surround them. They didn't see him; he floated invisibly above them.

"_Our mistress commands us to rise!_" Tucker was booming in a thunderous voice. "_You have fulfilled the wishes of these mortals, and now shall be repaid!_"

Danny wasn't liking where this was going. He had a pretty good guess of who Tucker was talking about. Only one of the crazed dead women terrorizing Amity Park granted wishes.

Student eyes glowed red. Danny bit back a gasp as Lancer rose from the floor to take his place among them, his eyes flickering like flames.

There was nothing he could do, not without the Thermos.

Intense self-loathing rose like bile in the back of his throat. There was nothing he could do. With one last glance at the gathering darkness, Danny flew out of the classroom, out of the school, above the city…to the one place he knew would provide something he could use.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the lab…

The lab was filled with recently-modified machines and ghost-hunting weapons of all shapes and sizes.

Danny had just flown in and was floating near the ceiling. It was quiet…almost too quiet. But the coast was clear; maybe his parents were on a lunch break.

He floated to the floor and in a burst of light transformed back into his T-shirt and jeans, running his hands through his tousled black hair in frustration. How was he going to find the backup Fenton Thermos in all this mess?

Gingerly, he stepped over something that looked like a cross between a Shop Vac and a microwave to get to his Father's workbench. It was slightly less disorganized than the rest of the lab.

His eyes swept over the various electronic circuitry and tools, resting on what looked like a bat – he leaned in for a closer look – with the word "Fenton" on it. He blinked and then started searching under the counter.

His face lit up as he saw something distinctly Thermos-shaped. He reached forward to grab it.

"DANIEL FENTON!" The rage in his mother's voice was unmistakable. He snatched his hand away from the Thermos and ducked to a crouching position, hoping she really hadn't seen him. "Don't think I don't see you down there!" She shouted, her voice rising an octave.

Cringing, Danny stood up slowly. His mother was glaring at him from the stairs, holding something that looked like a large missile thrower. Danny gulped.

"Mom, what are you holding?"

She lowered the weapon and scowled. "I thought you were a ghost. Don't scare me like that again!" Her mouth set and she took a deep breath.

_Here we go,_ Danny thought sourly. He didn't have to wait long for the explosion

"Why are you down here? WHY aren't you in school? It's only NOON, for heaven's sake!"

Danny wished he could turn invisible.

"And what are you doing down here in the lab anyway, Danny?"

"Umm…" He had to get his hands on that Thermos! Suddenly he had an idea!

He turned around and reached under the workbench to grab the Thermos, pulling it to his chest. It was heavier than his other Thermos had been, but he didn't think anything of it.

"Uh, Dad wanted me to…get this for him…" He held up the Thermos, noticing a red line down the center that definitely hadn't been on the other Thermos.

In retrospect, it really hadn't been such a brilliant idea. He hadn't even talked to his Dad.

"Oh, the new Thermos!" his mother said, her face brightening. "Jack _was_ looking for that…" she studied Danny's face and then sighed.

"I guess he told you what's happening?"

Danny nodded mutely, wondering what the heck she was talking about.

"Well then, it looks like you're going back to school with us!" his mother raised her weapon and motioned for Danny to follow. She went quickly up the stairs and Danny ran after, fervently hoping that she hadn't become insane. Because it seemed like she had.

At least he had the Thermos.

* * *

Ok, so now he _didn't_ have the Thermos.

Danny sat scowling in the back seat of his parent's RV as it careened around a corner, past a red light and accelerated towards his school.

He felt sick, and it wasn't just because of his Dad's lack of driving skills.

When his father had seen him, he didn't even question why Danny was home instead of at school. As soon as Jack saw what Danny was holding he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Ah, you've found the new Fenton Thermos!" Jack had reached for it and Danny had no choice but to relinquish it. "This one not only captures ghosts…" Jack paused. "Theoretically." And then he grinned. "It has a ghost detector built in, to find other ghosts in the area, and capture them as well."

Danny gulped just thinking about it. He just hoped his Dad wasn't going to use it near _him_.

But he might be tempted to test it out at the school. His parents' ghost sensors had detected a rather large "disturbance" at Casper High, and now they were going to "fix the situation," as his father had said.

Danny was just glad their sensors hadn't detected him…yet.

They screeched to a stop right outside his school, and his parents leapt out of the RV in their work suits, weapons of choice in hand. His mom was carrying that missile thrower thing (she'd called it a sub-molecular particle disruptor), and his dad was holding the Thermos, and a low density atomic encapsulator was attached to his arm (whatever _that_ was).

Students were streaming out the front doors of the high school, some screaming, some floating.

In their excitement, Jack and Maddie forgot about Danny. He transformed quickly in the RV, went intangible, and flew out above his parents. Maybe they'd be able to handle this situation.

They were agitatedly waving their weapons around, pointing at students and teachers and yelling at them.

Danny couldn't hear what they were saying. Something like "Move so we can vaporize the ghosts that are terrorizing your learning establishment," or something like that.

The students who were screaming screamed louder, as they tried to run away from the ghosts _and _the suit-wearing adults.

And then Tucker and Sam burst out of Casper High, their black eyes flashing red. The dark aura that surrounded them billowed behind them like flickering capes.

Danny's parents were suddenly silent. And then they aimed their weapons.

In one movement, Tucker flung his right arm outwards, as Sam flung her left arm outwards. The Fenton Thermos and the sub-molecular particle disruptor went flying in opposite directions.

Maybe his parents wouldn't be able to handle the situation after all.

Danny swooped down to catch the Thermos before it fell, wondering even as he raced towards it if he should have gone for the particle disruptor instead.

_Too late now,_ he thought, catching the Thermos with one hand. He clutched it to his chest, and then rose invisiblyabove the action once again.

Jack was pointing his low density atomic encapsulator at Tucker and Sam, and as Danny watched, he fired it.

A ray of pink energy shot towards them. Before they could move, it enveloped them, like a thick layer of strawberry Jell-O. They were frozen in place, although they still floated above the cement stairs.

Jack pumped his fist in the air as Maddie ran to retrieve the sub-molecular particle disruptor.

And then a cloud of dark energy rose _above_ the pink goo, dancing and leaping like black flames.

There was a loud _crack_ and Tucker and Sam burst free, fire in their eyes.

As one, they flung their arms forward at Danny's parents, sending them flying backwards, past the RV, over the road, over the line of trees that separated the school from the community...before they could go too much farther,Danny rushed after them.

Still invisible, hedropped the Thermos to the grass below, grabbed his mother's arm and his father's belt, and lowered them gently to the ground. They wereinsomeone's backyard, but Danny doubted they cared.They were still alive, that's what mattered at the moment.

Enraged, heretrieved the Thermos and raced back to the school, becoming visible as he landed next to his possessed friends.

"Now," he said loudly, to get their attention. Their black eyes fixed on him as he raised the Thermos. "Now you're going to regret messing with the Fentons."

Before he could unscrew the lid, Sam was right in front of him, her face inches away from his own.

He gasped and stepped backwards.

She smirked toothily and grabbed his shirt, pulling him towards her with inhuman strength. He wouldn't have minded being this close to Sam in any other circumstance, but in this case…

"What – what are you _doing_?"

She leaned forward so that her mouth brushed his ear. An icy chill went down his spine as she began talking.

"_Isn't this your deepest desire?_" Sam asked in a guttural rasp. "_Isn't this what you want?_"

Danny would have dropped the Thermos if Sam hadn't been pressed so closely against him. She moved her head back so that her eyes were locked onto his, still managing to stay as close as ever.

He looked intothem with growing horror. They were filled with the blackness of despair, and he could feel himself falling into them. It wasn't pleasant, as looking into her amethyst eyes had been. He could feel himself getting lost in the darkness.

He struggled to get away, but she grabbed his shoulders with hands so cold they burned right through the fabric of his suit, making it impossible for him to move.

He yelled in pain. "Sam – No! Stop!"

For a moment, she hesitated. Danny could see a flicker of lavender flutter across her irises. And then it was consumed by darkness.

"_I'll give you what you want_," she snarled, closing the gap between them.

Harshly, she pressed her icy lips against his, burning him again. This was a thousand times more painful than the touch of her hands. He couldn't contain the scream that was bubbling up inside of him, and when his mouth opened she forced herself inside.

He felt like his soul was being torn into a million pieces, burned and scattered in the wind by this icy fire. Tears clouded his green eyes with pain.

He fell into despair, letting it envelop him until he was no more, just a shadow in the gathering darkness, incapable of feeling pain. Everything seemed so far away. He knew that Sam – no, not Sam, but an evil mockery of Sam – was still kissing him, brutally, but it seemed unimportant somehow.

His mind was filled with the memory of Sam. Sam, who helped him with homework, who took care of him when he was sick, who could make him laugh in the face of danger, who loved him even though he was different – the real Sam.

And even in the depths of despair, he felt a glimmer of hope, and he latched onto that. The Sam he knew, the Sam he had fallen in love with – she was worth protecting, she was worth going into the very heart of evil to destroy it and take her back. He could feel his strength returning as he rose above the darkness.

And suddenly he could feel again. His mouth was on fire, as the not-Sam savagely covered it with her own, stealing his breath from him. He was pressed limply to her body, and would have fallen otherwise.

But with a burst of sudden strength, he pushed the not-Sam backwards. She went flying into Tucker, a surprised look on her face, as they crashed through the front doors of Casper High, disappearing inside the school.

And Danny wiped his mouth with one sleeve, disgusted, before flying after them to reclaim his friends.

* * *

**Joseph - thanx for the review, I _really_ appreciate reviews like yours:)**

**OK - NO more chapters until I get at least 10 reviews. I'm serious - they have to be good reviews too (not necessarily _good_ reviews - I'll take criticism too,but more than just one word, like "update!").**

**You want more? Tell me. Now. (oooh, so serious!) What's good, what's bad, what's ugly? The author would like your opinion. Preferably...now. :)**


	9. Within

**Disclaimer: own the story, but not teh DP. you know the drill.  
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* * *

They were furious.

How did Danny know this? He had just burst through the dented doors of the school, only to find Tucker and Sam floating again, in a haze of black. Their eyes were the color of blood and they snarled at him like wild animals as he flew towards them.

"_What's the dizzle, Fizzle!_" Tucker screamed, launching himself at the ghost boy. Danny had just a moment to think, before quickly turning intangible.

And then the breath was knocked out of his body. He was thrown backwards, through the walls of Casper High and into the school yard. He had forgotten that Tucker still had his ghost powers, and could kick his butt even in ghost mode.

He struggled to catch his breath and stand up. But before he could, Tucker was grinning down at him horribly, his red eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"_You thought you could beat ME?_" He reached down and picked Danny up by the front of his suit, holding him in the air until his legs dangled uselessly. Danny was still trying to get a decent breath of air. "_Do you know who I am? Do you!_" Tucker's breath was like brimstone and burning ozone.

"I know what you are," Danny grimaced. Tucker waited, a smirk on his face. "Seriously in need of a tic-tac."

The smirk disappeared. "_Wrong answer!_" Tucker howled, hurling Danny into the air with an ectoplasmic blast of red energy.

He righted himself high above the school, ignoring the burning pain that was blossoming throughout his body. "Good," he gasped, rubbing the arm that was still holding the Thermos as he looked down at Tucker. "Now I've got enough distance to figure out what to do."

"_Talking to ourselves again, are we?_" came a sneer directly behind him. He whipped around to see Sam floating too close to him.

He shot backwards reflexively, while fumbling to open the Fenton Thermos. His hands were shaking too much. In fact, his whole body was trembling. He was dismayed that Sam – no, _not_-Sam – had this effect on him, but he couldn't quell his rising panic.

She shot right after him, a predatory grin on her pale face. Her eyes, which were now terrifyingly red, flicked down at the Thermos Danny was trying to open and her grin widened.

She thrust her left arm out to the side, and the Thermos was torn from Danny's grasp by invisible fingers.

"No!" Danny shouted, moving to catch it before it could fall to the ground. But Sam was suddenly holding him by the collar, her crimson eyes twinkling unpleasantly.

"_You won't be needing _that" she said as he struggled to push her away.

"Get away from me!" Danny yelled, somewhat desperately. Sam's grip was vice-like.

A frown flickered across her face, but was replaced by a smug look so quickly Danny wasn't sure it had even been there.

"_Oh, are we shy today?_" she leered, pushing her face closer to his. His eyes widened. "_Nevertheless, you're still going to fall for me!_"

And then she was pushing him down through the air, faster than he could comprehend. The wind whistled around his ears.

She slammed him inches into the ground. Pain coursed through his body as twin circles of light flashed around him.

He was back in his jeans and T-shirt, but what concerned him more was that he couldn't breathe. The wind had been knocked out of him for the second time that day, and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"_Am I making you breathless?_" Sam laughed viciously and floated upwards.

Then her grin faded as she cocked her head to the side, like she was listening to something. Something that was making her glower furiously as she looked down at Danny, who was still gasping to catch his breath.

"_We'll finish this later,_" she snarled, before rising in the air to join Tucker, who gave one last inscrutable look at Danny; and then they were flying away, leaving a trail of shimmering darkness behind them.

Danny stared up at the blue sky and wondered briefly where the Thermos had gone to as the edges of his vision closed in on him, and all he could see was a pinpoint of blue.

"No," he panted, taking huge gulps of air. He had to follow Tucker and Sam, and to do that he had to stay conscious. He channeled the pain that was coursing through his body, concentrating on its intensity. The blackness receded, and soon the entire sky was blue again.

With a grimace, he struggled to a sitting position. His head was swimming, he was covered in dirt, and he felt like a giant bruise. He supposed he was lucky none of his bones had broken.

With a tired sigh, he closed his blue eyes. Light coursed around him, turning his hair white as snow. When he opened his eyes again, they were green.

"Now the Thermos," he said.

He stood with a groan, and his vision went black, completely and more suddenly than he had been prepared for. Dizzily he held his head, willing the darkness away, willing the stars to stop dancing in front of his eyes. Gradually, his sight returned to him and he scanned the ground. He had to move fast.

The Thermos was only 20 feet away. Danny floated over to it, picked it up and slung it over his shoulder in his carrier. He didn't want to risk dropping it again.

"Now…" He looked up at the sky, but Tucker and Sam were long-gone.

Disappointment filled his mouth with a sour taste. What was he going to do? He supposed he would have to use his parents' ghost-tracking radar…although he wasn't sure how.

But then he saw three black shapes rise from behind Casper High. He watched as they flew east, away from him.

"They must be possessed too. Maybe they're going where Tucker and Sam went," he said to himself. And then he cringed, realizing he _did_ have a habit of talking to himself. A sure sign of…something. He hoped all this ghost chasing wasn't making him Nutters.

He decided action – not thinking – was probably best right now. He rose into the air quickly to follow the black shapes across the city.

* * *

Danny was not the only one noticing the strange flight of people (who had previously seemed perfectly normal and not capable of any sort of levitation other than by what machinery could provide) across Amity Park.

A certain irate ghost watched the proceedings from an apartment high-rise with narrowed eyes.

"What's going on?" she shouted, half to herself and half to her ghostly band. The guitarists and the drummer were lounging on the couch, watching the large TV on mute so they could hear Ember. They were actually minions, incorporated visibly into band members to help maintain the illusion. Her illusion. Which was rapidly disintegrating.

Minions were often capricious, but these three were the most loyal she had – they were intertwined and tied to her alone, so they could only feed off the energy _her_ power helped capture.

Not that she was capturing much in the way of power lately.

For some time now, her fan base had dwindled, and Ember hadn't the slightest clue why, until she had heard her song on the radio. That is, it wasn't so much her song anymore as it was a mangled version of it, something that sounded like the screeching wail of a drunken banshee.

Basically, it no longer held the haunting quality that had been capable of ensnaring enraptured listeners. No _wonder_ her flaming hair had all but fallen out – no one was chanting her name anymore.

She patted her blue hair self-consciously and glowered at the air-born humans flitting past her window. There was definitely something fishy going on.

And she was going to find out what it was.

"Come on," she growled to her band, before snagging the remote to switch off the TV. Which was displaying live footage of the flock of flying humans over Amity Park. She tried not to notice. "We're going to get to the bottom of this."

* * *

Danny had followed the three students to the very edge of town, over the suburban houses that lined up like toy houses, over the park that seemed strangely deserted, over the Nasty Burger and other half-familiar restaurants and businesses, over the river to the side of town that was old, worn down, derelict.

Even in the sunlight the buildings seemed faded and dark, like they were trying to hide their dingy exterior in the shadows.

Many of the buildings were boarded up and condemned; large yellow cranes and bulldozers filled empty lots, like vultures waiting for a last gasping breath before swooping down to the feast.

The students joined a growing stream of people, who were all flying towards an old abandoned theater in the middle of a sandy clearing.

Danny turned invisible and flew alongside them. There must have been at least a hundred people, and all of them had glowing red eyes. Even without the whole flight thing, it was…unsettling.

Danny entered the theater with a growing sense of unease. Why was Desiree calling her minions out to the middle of nowhere? If she had as much power as she seemed to, it didn't make any sense.

The people around him were all floating, in an orderly way, towards the old theater seats. He hesitated, wondering if he should join them.

He was invisible, but something could go wrong, and if it did he _was _wearing a very noticeable jumpsuit. He decided instead to hide in a dark corner in the back, crouching invisibly behind a garbage can.

He didn't think anyone would have noticed him even if he had been visible. Everyone was focused intently on the stage.

He looked up, past the dust motes that floated along paths of light splintering through boarded-up windows. And his heart skipped a beat.

Desiree was seated on a golden throne in the center of the stage. She wore a velvet cape that swirled about her feet and a sparkling crown that refracted many colors in the dusty theater. Even though she was far away, he could see the satisfied smirk on her ghostly face.

But what dismayed him the most was the presence of his two best friends, kneeling on either side of Desiree, bowing down before her.

He was standing, shaking with fury, before he realized it. He couldn't let Desiree humiliate his friends like this! He wouldn't!

His mind raced as he clenched his fists, desperate for action. He had to do something, but what? He forced himself to settle down and assess the situation before doing anything rash. He was experienced enough for that, at least.

He thought quickly. He was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a crowd of possessed minions at the command of Desiree. If they all had powers like Sam and Tucker…

With a rare moment of clarity Danny realized the only way to save his friends was to destroy the thing that controlled them.

He glared at Desiree with hatred. He had never hated anything in his entire life, not with an intensity like this. It both surprised and frightened him.

But he forced himself to calm down and think of how he was going to stop Desiree rather than how much he despised her. Hatred wasn't going to help him, he had to _control_ himself and _think_.

Silently, he sat down next to the garbage can again, wrapped his invisible arms around invisible legs, and waited.

As soon as all of the theater seats had been filled, Desiree raised her arms, a useless gesture just for show, as everyone was raptly and silently attentive anyway.

"I have called you here today for one reason," she said, her voice loud and sinister. She paused, smiling at the waiting audience.

"Power. To not be forced along helplessly in the swirling eddies of the ghost zone, but to roam freely throughout the human realms with more power than anything on Earth…is that not why you have come?"

The minions buzzed excitedly, their eyes sparkling, their heads nodding.

"Before, this was impossible," she continued. "We were all separate, alone in our doom even as we suffered together. The chance occasions into the human realm were brief at best. Even those who tarried were weakened, drained by the strain of remaining here – they had no real strength. But now…" she lifted her head with a malicious grin. "Now we have joined forces, and our strength will not be defeated!"

A roar of applause erupted from the audience, and Danny cringed. This was not sounding good.

"You may be wondering how you can maintain your strength, as you are all still individual. Slowly you can feel the world sapping your power away from you, draining you until there is nothing left to maintain your form here."

The minions were nodding soberly.

"I have found a way to avoid this," Desiree stated with satisfaction. Her crown flashed as the crowd leaned forward.

"By binding ourselves to humans, we have not been able to remain here, even though possession is undeniably the answer. Humans are the link between the spirit world and the physical world. But a single ghost, possessing a single human, does not have enough power to control that human for long. The human is the stronger force within its own body, and the ghost, a foreign entity, is compelled to return to the ghost zone."

Something was occurring to Danny as he listened, something so horrible that he could not allow himself to believe it. He continued listening, dazed, as if in a nightmare.

Desiree turned to Tucker and Sam, who were still bowed down before her.

"Rise, my pets," she commanded. They stood and turned towards the audience, a cloud of darkness surrounding both of them.

Desiree laughed, a sound that chilled Danny to the bone. He found that he couldn't move.

"These two human children are perfect for possession. They are friends of the half-a, and he will not hurt them. Even if hundreds of ghosts are interwoven within."

The audience burst into a buzz of sound, as Danny felt himself pale. This was too diabolical. Of course there was no way Danny could ever hurt his best friends. But…he still held onto the hope that he wouldn't have to. All he had to do was get to Desiree…

"As it is," she was saying, "There are only three ghosts possessing them now. I am the third; I have interwoven my own spirit within them both. It is best that there is more than one human, because if one is harmed, the second will still hold us to the human world."

The audience was becoming wild with excitement.

"As you can see, I am still very much in control of myself – the part of me that is linked to these children is strong enough to hold me here, but not strong enough to weaken me in my own form. Once you link yourselves to the children, you will be free to stay on Earth for as long as you wish."

The ghosts burst into thunderous applause. Danny was wondering what the catch was; there had to be a catch. Desiree would not be offering something so freely, without being sure she was getting something in return. Even if she was a wish granter. She owed nothing to these ghosts, and she was power-hungry.

"Now," Desiree said. "Let us bind these humans so completely they will never break free from us."

Tucker and Sam knelt again, this time facing the audience, and Danny could only stare in horror as the audience rose as one, pushing forward, their eyes hungry with greed.

* * *

**THANK YOU to all my wonderful reviewers! I wasn't expecting so many so soon, so I stayed up till 5 a.m. writing this just to show my appreciation:)**

**Karen Rosalie: of course I couldn't stop writing ... but knowing people want to read my story kinda compels me to continue**

**thefanwithashortattentionspan: sqeee! i'm a _favourite_:)**

**CM (Fantastic Bouncy Girl): yep, you guessed right! Frodo LIVES!**

**cakreut12: wasn't that Vlad episode AWESOME! I can't WAIT till next week!**

**Kats02980415: Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews - I really enjoyed reading them all and I'm glad you commented on every chapter:) To answer some questions: Danny fell under the spell cuz his Fenton phones fell off so he was susceptible, just like in "Fanning the Flames." And yes, there will be more of Ember to come - I plan the story out before I write it, but a lot of the time it totally changes course as I'm writing. It's kind of like the story is alive, and I'm not in control of it - it goes where it wants to, and I just have to follow it. I wonder if anyone else writes like that, or if I'm just totally weird?**

**Well now you all know that reviews definitely make my fingers fly, so keep 'em coming!**


	10. The Darkness

**Disclaimer: obviously don't own DP, but wishing there were more new eppys. Where's Desiree when you need her?**

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* * *

Danny couldn't move. He was frozen, perhaps from shock, as the darkness swelled in the old theater and pulsed around him like a live thing. 

Then it rose and descended on Tucker and Sam, swirling around them until Danny couldn't see them anymore.

With a terrible scream, Danny found that he could move again, and he leapt towards the stage.

His scream echoed eerily in the dust-filled theater…in fact, it was rising in pitch and ferocity. Danny stopped and snapped his mouth shut in confusion.

It sounded, Danny thought, strangely female. For the umpteenth time that day he questioned his sanity.

"DESIREE! You WITCH! I'll kill you! I'll DESTROY you! No one will ever know your name after this!"

Something was flying at the throne in a streak of blue, slicing through the dark cloud that had risen from the minion audience.

It was at that point Danny realized someone else had been screaming, and he wasn't crazy after all. He watched restlessly – all he could think about was getting his friends off the stage.

With a shriek of rage, Ember crashed into the wish ghost, toppling her over before she had a chance to lift a finger.

Suddenly the dark cloud around Tucker and Sam vanished. They were left swooning before Desiree, looking surprised and confused.

Ember's three band members were zipping around the stage, and one stopped by Tucker to lift his PDA out of his jacket. Tucker was too confused to say anything, although he gazed at the ghost reproachfully.

With a considerable effort, the ghost snapped the PDA in half.

Tucker's half-hearted yell was lost in the commotion.

The black haze that had filled the theater was thinning as Desiree's minions leaped from their seats, surging forward, pressing against the stage like fans at a concert.

_A concert…_Vaguely, Danny remembered that Ember's live concert was supposed to be tonight. He looked over at her, but Ember and Desiree were a blur, a swirling dervish of blows and curses. The crowd of minions hesitated at the edge of the stage, obviously unsure of what they should do.

If there was ever a time to save Tucker and Sam, Danny thought, it was now.

He forced himself to move, to leap into the air towards the stage. It seemed to him that he was moving very slowly, through liquid sludge, through a gummy haze.

Ember and Desiree were screaming incoherently as they pummeled each other, but even Danny could see that Desiree was winning.

Finally he was at the stage, finally he was swooping down and grabbing his best friends by their arms. They were as cold as blocks of ice, and the freezing sensation that seeped into his hands somehow shocked time into speeding up again.

In a moment his friends were as invisible and intangible as Danny was, and he lifted them easily, up through the sagging roof and out into the sunlight.

They flew several buildings away and landed in a sand lot, where Danny set them down gently.

All three of them blinked in the light as they became visible. Tucker and Sam looked around dazedly, their eyes empty but not as dark as they had been before.

_

* * *

_

In the theater, Desiree's minions had taken control of the stage and captured Ember's band, although Ember was still hurling desperate punches at Desiree.

Desiree firmly grasped both of Ember's wrists and shoved her effortlessly to the stage floor, her eyes glowing.

"I am growing weary of this charade," she hissed, her face inches away from Ember's.

Ember looked surprised for just a moment. Her face darkened as she realized she couldn't move her hands. At all.

Desiree smirked.

Ember hissed and then her face twisted into a grin.

"I wish –" Ember began, but was cut off by a blow from Desiree's head.

"Silly _thing_, did you actually think it would work like that!" she snarled at Ember, who was moaning in pain. "I have _never_ granted wishes to those whose hearts no longer beat."

Desiree was shaking with anger, all traces of amusement gone. Her eyes were burning red and orange flames.

Ember had a moment to panic before she was hit with the full force of Desiree's energy blast. She yelled in pain, struggling to free herself from Desiree's clutches. With a lurch she rolled to the side, ripping her arms from Desiree's grasp. Pain had made her stronger, for the moment.

But as soon as she stood, she knew she couldn't win. If she had been alive she would have had second- and third-degree burns, she was so dizzy the theater seemed to be spinning crazily, and her band was captured by hundreds of flame-eyed minions.

Desiree was now standing, steadily and unhurriedly, fire still licking the sides of her eyes.

Ember backed away. "You may have won this battle," she snarled. "But the war is ON! Don't think I didn't hear your little plan."

Ember looked around slowly. "But," she said, dripping false concern. "Where ever did those two little children go, the ones who were supposed to save your greedy asses from the ghost zone?"

Startled, Desiree noticed for the first time that Tucker and Sam had indeed disappeared.

Despite the pain, a slow smile was spreading over Ember's face until she was grinning ear-to-ear like a Cheshire cat. With a high-pitched giggle she lifted an arm over her head and disappeared in a swirl of blue and teal, her band members popping out of existence with her.

Desiree shrieked. And then she closed her eyes, a look of forced calm and intense concentration on her face.

_

* * *

_

Danny was getting dizzy, looking at the swirls of lilac that were going round and round in Sam's black eyes.

"Danny?" Sam whispered, her voice unquestionably her own, although hesitant and sounding close to tears. "What's going on?"

Danny blinked and then reached down and grabbed Sam by her hands. They were ice cold, but they didn't burn him like they had before.

_Desiree must be losing her concentration_, he thought as he rubbed Sam's hands gently to warm them.

"It's ok Sam, don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you," Danny said, looking back into Sam's swirling eyes. He would have blushed at the way his voice cracked, but he was far too worried about Sam.

"Danny…I feel funny," Sam whimpered, swooning. He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a fierce hug, glancing at Tucker, who seemed more out of it than Sam but was at least still standing. Sam was trembling like a leaf.

A sense of urgency filled him. He had to do something, NOW.

Immediately he was turning intangible and leaning forward, until he passed through Sam's icy body, overshadowing her.

Inside, everything was dark at first, but he could see a light up ahead. He rushed towards it. There was something wrong with the soft luminescence. It was flickering, like a candle flame threatening to go out.

Danny realized, with a start, that the light would have been far brighter if there hadn't been a shadow clinging to its outer edges.

The shadow was leeching inwards, devouring the light, consuming it and transforming it into dark nothingness.

With horror, Danny watched the shadow pulse and grow and the light dwindle before his very eyes. He thought he could hear screaming.

In an instant he was on the shadow, pulling at it, trying to tear it away from the light. It was slimy and disgusting and reeked of death, and even as he retched he could feel its cold burn scorch his body.

It was then that he truly understood the awfulness of Desiree's plan. He could feel the black thing writhing in his hands, twisting and swirling as if it was made up of more than one entity. Indeed it was, and one of them was Desiree.

Danny refused to let go, he refused to leave Sam, even as he could feel the shadow growing larger and larger, pushing him away from the light. It was stronger than Danny – there was two of them and he was only one.

And he really couldn't hold on, he was being pushed back through the darkness, away from the ever-dwindling light.

With a yelp he was thrown out of Sam, tumbling through the air and skidding awkwardly on the sandy ground.

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He rose immediately, tears blurring his vision. He had failed Sam, had failed to protect her, and now she was lost beneath the shadow. The pain that tore at his heart was much greater than any pain he could ever feel.

Or so he thought.

That was before he turned around and was introduced harshly to Tucker's fist. He flew backwards, barely registering the pain in his shock.

Then Tucker was standing over him, glaring down at him with hatred so intense Danny felt like he was frozen. For a moment he couldn't move.

Tucker sneered. "_So _this_ is the great Danny Phantom. You can't even take a punch._"

At that, Danny found he could indeed move, and was halfway to Tucker's neck before he could comprehend his cat-like reflex.

And then he was flying backwards again. Sam had rushed at him from the side, before the intention to strangle Tucker became more than a thought.

Danny was seeing stars. Everything was going fuzzy. He imagined his inner cat slinking away, embarrassed to be caught with his tail between his legs.

The last thing he saw was a brilliant flash of light, and then his cerulean blue eyes were closing as he lost consciousness.

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**thefanwithashortattentionspan – sorry – things aren't better yet … poor Danny…**

**Kats02980416 – :)it is quite the crazy mess, but it can't be helped**

**Fantastic Bouncy Girl – Thanks! I know I wasn't as quick at updating this time, but there were tests. And papers. And stuff. Anyway, I'll definitely finish this story sometime, so don't worry! There will be an end ... eventually ;)**

**Joseph K – Cheers:)**

**Haimnotonthissite – nope!**

**Danny-Phantom-Luver626 – LOL, I watched the Ember eppy 3 times, but not in a row! **

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**Sorry this is such a short chapter - I'm kind of suffering writer's block... the next chapter will be longer, I promise!**

**_And, just because I'm a shameless beggar-girl >>> Please Review:)_**


	11. Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: we were meant to live for so much more …oh …why, hello there…um… r****ight, so then, onto the story!**

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Danny was aware of the intense pain in his wrists first. And then he was aware of the intense pain in his arms. And his shoulders.

A frown flickered across his face, and he realized that everything was so dark because his eyes were closed.

He repressed a groan as his blue eyes fluttered open.

He was looking down at his red and white sneakers, and he appeared to be standing on a dusty wooden floor. Apparently, he had transformed back to his human form, although he couldn't remember why.

Confused, he decided to assess the situation entirely before panicking. Panicking never did any good.

The pain in his wrists demanded immediate attention. He looked down and saw that they were handcuffed in front of him. The handcuffs were a bright green and strangely cold. His wrists were throbbing.

The pain in his arms and shoulders was an icy kind of pain too, like he was being held by a cold so intense it burned. His eyes flicked to his right arm. A beefy hand encircled his entire bicep, as if it was no more than a twig.

His eyes widened and then flicked to his left arm, which an equally beefy hand with long fingernails was gripping so tightly Danny was sure there would be rather large bruises underneath.

He began to panic.

"_The boy is awake,_" came a booming voice next to him. Danny started and lifted his head up.

Desiree was standing right in front of him! He was looking straight into her eyes, which were entirely black with a red sheen. For some reason they reminded him of the metallic body of an insect. He wondered briefly why he had even thought that.

Desiree smirked at him and stepped back so he could see over her shoulder.

He was back in the theater! Even worse, he was on the stage! He looked out at the minion audience and the darkness that seemed to seethe and roil around them like a stormy lake. And then he looked back at Desiree, remembering everything that had happened.

"Where are Sam and Tucker?" He demanded.

"You will see them very soon," she said with a nasty smile, her voice filled with such malice that Danny couldn't stop himself from shivering.

He thought _now_ would be a good time to change back to his ghost half. He closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a flash of light and then a knife-like pain throughout his entire body.

With a cry, his eyes burst open, light flowing out of them. The light trickled down to nothing in an instant, and everything was dark again. When Danny's eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see that Desiree was still smirking at him.

"As if I hadn't thought of that," she laughed unpleasantly. "What do you think those handcuffs are for anyhow?"

Danny looked down at them. They were glowing, and seemed to be pulsing. A sick dread filled his stomach. The last tendrils of light from his failed transformation were being sucked into the handcuffs, and they burned frostily against his bare skin.

"Now, we shall begin," Desiree continued.

Danny looked up. Sam and Tucker walked out from behind him.

"Sam! Tucker!" He cried. They ignored him and knelt before Desiree, who was smiling at Danny's distress. Then she turned and addressed the large audience.

"Now, we shall take these children!" she shouted, lifting her arms. "Now, they shall be OURS!"

At her words, the swirling chaos of darkness rose up and descended on Tucker and Sam for the second time that day. They were engulfed so completely that Danny could see nothing but black.

"Nooooooooooo!" He howled, struggling to free himself from the grip of his captors. They just dug their hands into his arms even harder. He was almost certain he was bleeding from his left arm.

The dark was rising from his captors as well. He looked up into one of their faces. It was filled with an awful delight that made Danny want to vomit.

He looked back at the tornado of darkness, despair overtaking his anger. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't get free, he couldn't transform … all he could do was watch. And soon he couldn't even do that. His own tears were blinding him until everything was a blur.

The next thing Danny knew, his captors had let him go and he was lying on the ground in a fetal position, tears streaming down his face.

And Desiree was bending over him. "To think I had actually been worried about the 'great Danny Phantom,'" she sneered. "Why, you're nothing but a little boy!"

She leaned in closer. "And there's nothing you can do," she whispered into his ear. "Your friends are gone, and you'll never get them back."

Danny was too distressed and ashamed to even look at her. He really was useless. Sam! Tucker! They were completely shadowed now.

He buried his head in his arms and sobbed.

He didn't know that Desiree scornfully freed him from his handcuffs. He didn't know that she left, followed by her entire audience. He didn't know that Tucker and Sam left too, without a single backwards glance. All he knew was that he had failed.

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Thirty minutes later, he stood up, with some difficulty, and staggered off the stage. Everyone was gone, and the sun was still shining in dusty streams through the boarded windows.

His eyes felt puffy, like they were bruised or bleeding. His left arm was indeed bleeding from fivedeep fingernail-shaped wounds, and both arms and wrists had purple bruises.

He rubbed his wrists, which were cold and raw from where the handcuffs had chafed them.

He ran a hand through his mussy black hair and let out a long sigh. The last time he had cried so hard, it was because he had broken his arm when he was eight. Since then he had barely shed a tear.

But after that embarrassing cry-fest on the stage,Danny felt strangely better, no longer so hopeless. Even if he didn't have the power to stop Desiree and reclaim his friends, he had to try.

And so he made his way to the front of the theater and stood blinking in the late afternoon sunlight. He didn't have a lot of time.

He leaned on the old door frame and shut his eyes.A cool white light circled his body,transforming his dusty jeans and rumpled T-shirt to the black and silver bodysuit, covering up his bruises and blood.

He opened his eyes and ran a gloved hand through his white hair again. He was exhausted and sore, and it was time to go home.

It took some effort, but soon Danny was rising in the air, flying back to the Fenton lab.

He just hoped he wasn't too late.

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_

Danny was both relieved and somewhat disappointed to find his parents gone when he floated back into his home.

On the one hand, he could search the lab for all sorts of ghost hunting paraphernalia without worrying about being caught.

On the other hand, it would have been nice to have someone else take charge, and then he could just go back to being a regular teenager who only worried about acne and how his voice kept changing mid-sentence. Not that he had acne.

Secretly, Danny had been hoping his parents would force the truth out of him. Then _they_ could go and fix the problem.

He was far too young to carry the weight of this kind of responsibility on his shoulders – he was only 14 for crying out loud! How could anyone expect him to be a hero when he couldn't even drive?

So demonic ghosts were possessing his best friends? It was almost absurd when you thought about it, really. This sort of thing only happened in movies or comic books, or the odd TV show on Nickelodeon.

If someone had asked Danny a year ago what he would have done in this case, first he would have spurted milk out of his nose laughing, and then he would have pointed out the obvious – he would save his friends no matter what happened.

But this wasn't just a hypothetical question anymore. This was real. And Danny didn't know if he was strong enough to save them.

Slightly depressed, he scrounged around the lab in the dark for awhile. The portal was humming, a red light above the door blinking ominously. It was giving Danny the creeps, so he hit the light switch.

And saw that the lab was eerily empty. It looked like his parents had already cleared out a large portion of gadgets and gizmos needed for ghost hunting, but there were still some things left that Danny might be able to use.

The sub-molecular particle disruptor was lying on top of the workbench next to a hammer and a set of drill bits.

"Mom must have fixed this," he murmured, picking it up. It was surprisingly light, and it looked like it would wrap around his arm nicely. "Ooh, Velcro," he said, fastening it around his lower arm and flexing his muscles. Satisfied that it would stay put, he moved on.

It hadn't really worked too well before, but maybe it would give him some time.

Speaking of time…

He looked up at the wall clock anxiously. It was almost 4! The concert started at 7, and if Danny hadn't fixed things by then…

He shook his head and tried not to worry about it.

There was a vacuum-type thing in the corner, which he remembered was supposed to suck ghosts out of humans – the Fenton Xtractor. He stared at it for awhile, wondering if he would be able to carry it around with him.

Probably not. He moved on, regretfully.

Gingerly, he picked up the Fenton Spector Deflector belt – that thing had _hurt_ when it was activated; thankfully he never got the full brunt of its attack. But Vlad hadn't seemed too happy when he was wearing it. Danny snickered at the memory – Vlad had deserved every second of pain he got.

Maybe he could tie it on Desiree super-quick and then she'd…well, she'd suffer. Tempting, but not practical. She'd make him suffer before he could get close enough. He moved on.

Near the portal, there was a strange palm-sized glass half-globe that shone ruby red in the lab's fluorescent light. Danny picked it up curiously. He had never seen it before.

It looked like a jewel, but there was a thick polycarbonate coating on the flat side, and two green buttons were inset into the black surface. One said "REMOVE" and one said "OFF." He stared in wonder at the gleaming thing in his hand.

"What _is_ this?" Danny murmured, turning it over.

There was a label on the back, just like on every other thing his parents had invented. It read "Fenton De-mystifier."

Danny wasn't sure what "De-mystifier" meant, but he decided to keep the jewel, just in case. It was small enough to fit in the pouch that held his Fenton Thermos anyway.

Then he flew upstairs to his room to get the pair of Fenton Phones he had stashed in one of his drawers.

"Ok," he sighed to himself. He was as ready as he was going to be. It would have been nice to have a nap or food or something, but he just didn't have time.

He flew downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a jar of peanut butter from one of the cabinets. Well, maybe he had time for _some_ food.

He was just starting to spread the peanut butter on a slice of bread, when he heard a gasp from behind him.

"_Danny!_"

He stiffened, remembering he was still in his ghost form, white hair, black Hazmat suit and all. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath before slowly turning around.

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**Hope you liked this chapter - it's not _super_ long, and itwas getting sort of blandish at the end, so I decided to spice it up a bit... don't hate me! runs and hides**

**As always, reviews are muchappreciated!So close to 100! It's v. cool - you guys rock:)**

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**Kraven the Hunter**** – Thanks for reviewing all those chapters! wouldn't it be nice if it was that simple? Just one wish, and all Danny's problems are gone! Too bad he _is_ a "C student"…**

**Chocolatecrazy – I still think the Ember episode is the BEST! (tho the new eppys are pretty darn good too)**

**The Drewfus**** – LOL, thanks! the whole DP idea came from Butch's head though, and I shudder to think of a world without his Danny Phantom…**

**Ginny-Hates-Them – yep! Scary, huh? ;)**

**Fantastic Bouncy Girl**** – Ah, Frodo :D**

**JPElles**** – sorry!**

**Lil Bre**** – oooh, do you like the Weekenders too? Such a good show :)**


	12. A Revelation

**Hey guys,I'm really sorryfor not updating sooner!I've beenbusy... you know how it goes…anyway, here's Chapter 12! (after a short recap of Chap. 11)**

_He was just starting to spread the peanut butter on a slice of bread, when he heard a gasp from behind him._

"_Danny!" _

_Danny stiffened, remembering he was still in his ghost form, form-fitting black hazmet suit and all. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath before slowly turning around._

**Disclaimer: we've been here before.**

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Jazz was standing at the door, her mouth hanging wide open. And she was wearing an Ember T-shirt.

"Uhh…yeah?" Mentally, Danny smacked himself in the forehead. That was all he could come up with?

"Danny, you have to change back _now_! Mom and Dad are right behind me and – " she was cut off by Jack, who shouldered Jazz aside to fit his bulk through the door.

"Danny!" He shouted. "We have to…Danny?"

Danny had flung himself to the floor as soon as he realized his parents were right behind his sister. There wasn't time to change back, and his dad would see the flash of light that always came with his transformation.

He closed his eyes and became intangible, sinking through the floor. He could only hope his sister wouldn't freak out, and rat out the ghost kid to his dad!

Jack looked around the kitchen, puzzled. "Jazz, who were you talking to? Where's Danny?" He eyed the half-made peanut butter sandwich on the counter suspiciously.

"Uhh, he just went to…to change! For the concert!"

Jack's face fell. "He's going to that too? And I was hoping he could help me with the ghost hunting…"

Jazz smiled and patted his shoulder. "Maybe next time, Dad."

Danny came in the room just then, wearing a black sweatshirt and jeans. He looked at Jazz, worried. She just smiled back at him.

"Ready to go Danny?" Jazz turned to her mother, who looked like she was about to say something. "We're eating first," she explained. Jack was still staring at the sandwich bits on the counter.

Danny cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh, yeah. I was making a snack earlier," Jack's head whipped up. "For you, Dad," Danny finished, smiling weakly.

Jack gave him a huge grin before grabbing the half-made sandwich in one hand, and a knife to spread more peanut butter onto the bread in the other.

"Well, you two better be off to that concert then," he said. "Oh, and Danny?"

Danny stopped at the door and turned around hesitantly. "Yes?"

Jack leaned forward, the peanut butter knife raised in one hand. Danny gulped.

"Keep an eye on Jazz, will you? She's been acting kind of strange."

Danny nodded nervously before bolting out the door.

Jazz knew! And she hadn't told anyone!

He got into the passenger seat of her car, looking at her strangely. She wasn't even phased. And he had been wearing spandex and had white hair, mere minutes ago!

She noticed him staring and smiled at him before pulling out into the street.

Danny couldn't take it anymore.

"Why didn't you tell them?" he burst out. "Aren't you even the slightest bit freaked out by this?"

Jazz shook her head. "Actually, I've known you were half a ghost since episode 9."

"Huh?"

"Er, since Penelope Spectra showed up. I saw you transform right outside the Nasty Burger."

Danny slumped down in his seat, frowning.

"You've known all this time, and you haven't said anything. Why?"

Jazz shrugged. "I guess I wanted you to tell me yourself. I didn't want to force anything out of you, and I knew you'd let me know when you were comfortable." She glared at him. "Of course, you never _did_ tell me. It's a good thing I already knew, otherwise I would totally be freaking out on you right now."

Danny groaned. "I'm sorry. I mean, I knew Dad would probably lock me in a ghost-proof cage and force the ghost out of me or something, and I thought you might…tell him…so I guess I was just worried."

Jazz looked angry. Danny ran a hand through his black hair impatiently.

"Well, now I _know_ you wouldn't tell him, but how could I be sure before?" he demanded.

This was ridiculous. Jazz had found out his secret identity; he should have been livid; and she was acting all righteously indignant while he had to defend himself!

Jazz sighed. "I guess you're right. I shouldn't be too upset, I probably would have done the same thing." She glanced over at him. "Do you really think Dad would lock you up?"

Danny stared out the window with a distant look in his eye.

"I don't know," he said softly. "I'd like to think he would accept me no matter what, but you know how he gets all ghost crazy."

He looked over at Jazz, whose eyes were suspiciously shiny.

"Danny, even if he didn't accept you, you'll always have me!" she cried. Danny blushed and sat up, running a hand through his hair uncomfortably. He looked over at her again – her eyes were back on the road, and she was wiping something from them – were those…tears?

His eyes widened.

"Jazz…" she looked back at him with a smile. "Thanks." He sat back in his seat, and realized that he was smiling too.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Jazz asked after awhile.

"Oh…" Danny sat up quickly. "Um, Jazz, there's something I have to do – I don't think I'll have time to eat in a restaurant."

"Oh, ok – we can just get drive thru then – you can't fight on an empty stomach!"

Danny grimaced. Jazz could be so motherly sometimes.

And then she sped up and turned into the Faster Burger Drive Thru (an extension of Nasty Burger), and he could have sworn the car turned on two wheels.

He scrambled for his seat belt, wrapping it around himself before he slid too far off his seat.

"Jazz!" he managed to squeak before the car leveled and she skidded to a stop.

She ignored him and rolled down her window.

"Two Nasties and two frosties," she demanded to the yellow and orange striped intercom. "And make it snappy!"

Danny heard an electronic voice grumbling about how this _was_ Faster Burger, after all, and obviously _someone_ didn't appreciate the fact that meals _always_ arrived 20 seconds after ordering.

Jazz sped up to the window and grabbed the ready-to-eat food, handing it to Danny before tearing out of the drive thru like the very demons of hell were after her.

"Jazz! Mind slowing down?" Danny yelled.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," she said, and slowed to a decent 40 mph. Danny eyed her warily as he wolfed his food down.

"Hey, thanks for dinner, by the way," he said.

"No prob. And don't talk with your mouth full!"

"Ok," Danny said, his mouth still full. He grinned, and with a flash of light he was Danny Phantom.

"I've got to go, wish me luck!" he said, turning intangible and floating up out of the top of the car.

Jazz stared after him, almost veering off the road before realizing she was still driving.

"Good luck Danny," she said softly, turning her attention back to the road.

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Danny had flown out of Jazz's car a few blocks away from Ember's concert. It was just 4:30 – he had 2 ½ hours before the concert would begin.

What was he going to do! He floated slowly towards the Black Cats basketball stadium – that was where the concert was going to be held – thinking about his options.

The most important thing was getting Sam and Tucker back from Desiree. But that would have to wait until after he crashed Ember's concert. Somehow, he would have to beat Ember and then go and kick Desiree's ghostly butt.

Below him, hoards of Ember fans were already filling the streets as they waited to get into the stadium. Most of them were decked out in the latest Ember gear.

"How original," Danny smirked. It was just like last time. Teal hair and black shirts. Girls and guys were singing and screaming, jumping up and down, too excited to speak.

There were few people who didn't seem excited. But they were there. Standing quietly, watching the commotion around them. They seemed out of place. Danny watched a couple of them, who were talking intently, their heads close together.

And thenthey looked up and stared right at him.

He blanched. How could they even see him! Oh yeah…he had become visible earlier, thinking no one would look up so it wouldn't matter.

He gasped. Their eyes were _red_. He had only seen eyes that glowed that color in people possessed.

Suddenly he knew what he had to do.

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**Ok, sorry that was short and not too action-packed. The next chapter will be better!**

**FYI: Everything's going to be really hectic for me in the next few weeks, with graduation and all. So forgive me if I don't update terribly soon. But I _will_ update! I promised I'd finish this story, so I will:)**

**Thanks to all my AWESOME reviewers:**

Fantastic Bouncy Girl, The Halfa Wannabe, Val-Creative, sarah, PokeShipper Desiree, LMDGlUVR4EVA, Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse, Kraven the Hunter, Katie Mae, thefanwithashortattentionspan, and The Drewfus!

**Over 100! You rock! **


	13. Demystified

**Hey…I apologize for not writing…I'm soooo busy – this summer sort of sucks for me, so I can't promise regular updates, but I'll try…Also, I apologize for how incredibly SHORT this chapter is, but I figured I'd better put something up ASAP since I've gotten so many comments about my lack of posts thru June…and July…heh…so here goes...**

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_There were few people who didn't seem excited. But they were there. Standing quietly, watching the commotion around them. They seemed out of place. Danny watched a couple of them, who were talking intently, their heads close together._

_And then they looked up and stared right at him._

_He blanched. How could they even see him! Oh yeah…he had become visible earlier, thinking no one would look up so it wouldn't matter._

_He gasped. Their eyes were red. He had only seen eyes that glowed that color in people possessed._

_Suddenly he knew what he had to do._

**Disclaimer: don't own DP**

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The red-eyed blond couple looked down and began moving away quickly. Danny kept his eyes on them.

"You're not getting away from me that easily!" he growled, swooping down toward them. As he flew, skimming over the top of the crowd, he turned invisible. The people beneath him thought it was only a gust of wind that made their hair and shirts rustle, never realizing that Danny Phantom was flying only inches above them.

The two blondes were now within reach, and Danny stretched his arms out and grabbed two fistfuls of shirt fabric, lifting the surprised couple into the air.

They both shouted and squirmed as the crowd around them gave one collective yell – they were seeing two people rise into the air as if gravity had just betrayed them.

Danny carried them to the roof of a nearby apartment building, where he unceremoniously dropped them.

Warm golden rays from the setting sun stretched across the rooftop as Danny materialized in mid-air. He glared down at his captives, his green eyes glowing eerily in the light. They rose shakily to their feet.

"_Danny Phantom,_" the red-eyed girl spat. "_What do you think you're doing?_"

"Where's Desiree?" Danny said, ignoring her question.

They both grinned, their eyes bright as dying embers in the sunset.

"_Why should we tell you?"_ the girl bared her teeth viciously.

Danny was reminded strongly of Sam, who only hours ago had bared her teeth at him just like that.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" he shouted, balling his hands into fists and noting their barely-concealed shock with a grim satisfaction. He was thinking of Sam, of the deadened look in her (no, not her) now-black eyes. He thought of Sam's true self, trapped deep inside of her body by the shadows that had taken hold.

He had failed to save Sam, and now she was lost somewhere so dark that he couldn't see a way to follow her.

And they had taken Tucker too.

"I WANT SAM AND TUCKER BACK _NOW_!" he shouted. "AND IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHERE DESIREE IS, I'LL _MAKE_ YOU!"

And then he was flying at the minions, screaming through the air straight toward their glinting, wide crimson eyes.

He reached back and gripped the new and improved Fenton Thermos, beyond caring that he might get sucked into it as well as the minions. Not a very smart move, but it was that or nothing. And nothing just wasn't an option – not when his best friends were involved.

He was yelling something about freedom and life, and the minions were backing away, looking less certain in the wake of his uncontained rage.

And then the Thermos was open.

A whirlwind of ectoplasmic light flooded the entire roof of the apartment building, engulfing the minions and Danny with it.

Danny felt like his body was being swallowed by cold itself, harsh and bright and somehow familiar and old as time.

And he was screaming, soundlessly as his eyes closed to the endless light, but there was no darkness and everything was white. He was standing but he couldn't feel his legs, he couldn't feel any part of himself. He thought at some point that he dropped the Thermos, but there was no difference between him or the Thermos or the light that was filling him.

And then there was darkness as Danny collapsed in merciful unconsciousness.

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He wasn't sure how long he had been lying on the roof of the apartment, but when Danny finally became aware of himself again, the sun was just a memory, its glow a faint line on the horizon.

The Black Cats stadium, however, was awash in light, and the air was filled with the sounds of rock and screaming fans.

"I –" he started, and sat up, running a hand through his hair. "What happened?"

The Thermos was lying right next to him, and the couple lying across from him were starting to move sluggishly too, at the sound of the music.

In a sudden panic, he remembered what he had done. He looked down, and saw to his horror that he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, his concert clothes.

"Ohmygosh!" he gasped, looking at the watch on his human wrist. It was 7 – the concert was starting!

He jumped up and swayed, a wave of dizziness rolling over him. He was standing very close to the edge of the roof and the ground was very far below. He gulped and moved toward the center, realizing that it was Ember's voice he was hearing.

"Oh no! I – I'm going ghost!" he said, terrified of what would happen if he couldn't. The concert! He had been on the roof of a building for two and a half hours, and now the concert was starting! Why had he been so irresponsible! What if his dad's Thermos had sucked his ghost-self into the Ghost Zone? What then?

There was a flash of light. Twin circles phased around him, and he sank to his knees in relief. For once in his life, he was extraordinarily grateful to be half a ghost.

He fumbled with his belt and drew out the Fenton phones he had stored there earlier, putting them over his ears with shaking hands.

"Uhh, excuse us?"

His head shot up. The blond guy was looking down at him, perplexed.

"Umm, what's going on, and what's with the crazy threads and headset?"

"Huh?" Danny was confused. Now that he thought about it, if the Thermos _hadn't_ sent his ghost-self to the Ghost Zone, then where had Desiree's minions gone?

He turned to see two ink-black shapes with red eyes rising from the corner of the building. They had almost blended into the darkening sky.

"_What's happened to us?"_ one of them hissed, looking down at itself. "_Why have we separated from our hosts?_"

"_That's not possible_," growled the other. "_Desiree said this time it would be permanent._"

Danny snorted. "And you believed her? That was your first mistake. She's actually using you to get more power for herself."

The black figures looked down at him, their red eyes narrowing.

"_Then why are we _still here_, ghost boy?_"

"You tell me!" he shouted, his anger returning. "Wasn't it: you'd stay in 'the mortal realm' if you put part of yourselves in Tucker and Sam?"

Their eyes widened.

"Well, guess what? Now you're stuck here!"

"_What? No – there's no point in being here without physical bodies!_" The figures looked at each other and then dove for the two humans cowering behind Danny.

They screamed as the ghosts passed through them. And came out on the other side.

"_It's not working!_" one of the shadows screeched. "_Why can't we possess their bodies once again?_"

"Looks like the only thing even _keeping_ you here is the part of you connected to Desiree," Danny said. "Maybe the Fenton Thermos _did_ send you back to the Ghost Zone. Most of you, anyway…"

He frowned. But then why was he still there? His father had said the Thermos would send _all_ ghosts nearby to the Ghost Zone. Which should have included him.

"Oooh, what's this?" a voice said from behind him. Danny whirled to see the girl holding a glittering ruby-colored jewel that seemed to glow from within.

"Hey, the Fenton Demystifier!" he said, reaching out to take it. The girl reluctantly gave it to him and he examined it curiously. It hadn't been glittering before…he turned it over. The green switch labeled "REMOVE" had been pushed in, and was glowing in the dark too.

"What…" Had the switch been pressed accidentally? Maybe _that's_ why Danny wasn't trapped in the Ghost Zone…

He shrugged and strapped it back into the Thermos pouch, leaving it on. If it was protecting him from the Thermos somehow, he was going to hang on to it for awhile.

"Ummm, Ghost Boy?" the girl was tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, what?" he said.

"Those black ghost things just flew off that way." He turned to look in the direction she was pointing toward. Two inky shadows were clearly visible, heading straight toward the flashing lights of the Black Cats stadium.

Danny cursed and leapt off the apartment roof after them, ignoring the protesting shouts of the couple behind him. He just didn't have time.

* * *

**...and sadly enough, neither do I... stay tuned for the next chapter... don't worry, you won't have to wait 2 months for it**

**Thanks to all my reviewers -- you guys are what really keep me writing!and esp. Fantastic Bouncy Girl -- thanx for adding me to your c2, i'm really flattered:)**


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